A colon means "that is to say" or "here's what I mean." Colons and semicolons should never be used interchangeably. Rule 1a. Use a colon to introduce an ...
Colons (:) introduce clauses or phrases that serve to describe, amplify, or restate what precedes them. Often they are used to introduce a quote or a list that ...
A colon is a punctuation mark that introduces or points to other directly related text. It looks like two dots, one on top of the other (:) and always has a ...
2. To join sentences. You can use a colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence summarizes, sharpens, or explains the first. Both sentences should ...
The colon is used to separate two independent clauses when the second explains or illustrates the first. In such usage, the colon functions in much the same ...
A colon is used to give emphasis, present dialogue, introduce lists or text, and clarify composition titles. Emphasis—Capitalize the first word after the colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence. (She had one love: Western Michigan University.)