Colon writing rules book

Using colons to introduce lists when you insert a short list of items into a sentence, you dont need a colon. One of my favorite old grammar books, titled punctuate it right, has a. There are five key rules for colon usage that should always be followed. Books, paper, pencilsmany students lacked even the simplest tools. We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class. Use a colon to introduce an item or list, if the list comes after a complete sentence or independent clause. A colon is also used between hours and minutes, titles and subtitles of books. It is especially important when writing formal academic essays, such. There are many different types of paper, including. When you write a friendly letter, put a comma after the name of the person who will receive the letter. In frenchlanguage typing and printing, the traditional rules are preserved. Colons with lists grammar blog blue book of grammar.

Erika suffern is the head of book publications at the mla. Out of all the punctuation marks used in the english language, the colon is by far the most. Rule 3 a colon followed by a complete sentence should have the first letter after the colon be capitalized example. A colon is also used between hours and minutes, titles and subtitles of books, city and publisher in bibliographies, in biblical citations between chapter and verse, and for salutations in business letters and other formal letter writing. Use a colon to introduce the formal expression of a rule or principle. Colons are great for providing explanations of situations and to provide further context in sentences. In this form, whatever comes after the colon explains what precedes it. Also, learn the rules for spacing and capitalization after a colon. For extended quotations introduced by a colon, some style manuals say to indent onehalf inch on both the left and right margins. Using a colon after such as, including, especially, and similar phrases. This violates the rule that the material preceding the colon must be a complete thought. Use a colon to introduce an extended quotation whether youre writing an essay, a nonfiction book, or a blog post, therell be times when you want to quote someone else at some length more than a sentence or two. A grammar lesson on using colons in references, times, and titles to show the subtitle. Thus, it is one of the most powerful punctuation marks.

Do not capitalize the first item after the colon unless its a proper noun. Colons punctuation rules the blue book of grammar and. This means using a block quotation that goes in its own standalone paragraph. Punctuation, such as the semicolon and colon, is a key ingredient of writing. A colon is basically a way of saying heres what i mean in punctuation. The colon is like a sign on the highway, announcing that something important is coming. Scorsese on scorsese by david thompson, the era of franklin d. Clarify the titles of books, lectures and other compositionsuse a colon in titles that express two parallel ideas. The colon can be used after the first word of a sentence or just before the final word of a sentence. Use a colon to introduce an item or a series of items. Using colons in references, times, and titles grammar monster. Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, or that is do not apply or are not appropriate. Use the colon after a complete sentence to introduce a list of items when introductory words such as namely, for example, or that is do.