Colon (:)

                                                                        Colon (:)

There are three main uses of the colon:

1. Between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the first:

E.g. That is the secret of my extraordinary life: always do the unexpected.

E.g. It wasn’t easy: to begin with, I had to find the right house.

2. To introduce a list:

E.g. The price includes the following: travel to London, flight to Venice, hotel accommodation, and excursions.

E.g. The job calls for skills in the following areas: proofing, editing, and database administration.

3. Before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:

E.g. The headline read: ‘Taxi Driver Battles Gangsters’.

E.g. They shouted: ‘Our families are starving! We need land!’