In its section on “Lowercase or capital letter after a colon,” Chicago explains: Note that both of the phrases following the colon are complete sentences. Or she could use this opportunity to assert her preference for a vegan diet. She could feign satiety and thank the host for a good meal. Yolanda faced a conundrum: She could finish the soup, pretending not to care that what she had thought until a moment ago was a vegetable broth was in fact made from chicken. Here are two examples in its “Use of the colon” entry: They even relied on a chronological analogy: just as the Year II had overshadowed 1789, so the October Revolution had eclipsed that of February.
#HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE WITH A COLON MANUAL#
The Chicago Manual of Style is more nuanced, and maybe more confusing. The Associated Press Stylebook says: “Capitalize the first word after a colon only if it is a proper noun or the start of a complete sentence.” The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage is similar: “For consistency, capitalize what follows a colon if it is a complete sentence.” In American English, to capitalize or not to capitalize is not a question of grammar: It’s a question of style. It makes little sense to capitalize the beginning of a list (unless it begins with a proper name), but what about when what follows is a single word or other prose? Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed that we sometimes capitalized the first word after a colon, and sometimes we did not. Take the sentence “His wish list included: Transformers, Hot Wheels, Minecraft figures and Legos.” The colon isn’t needed there, because the word “included” does the same thing the colon would: tells a reader that what follows is a list. Sometimes, writers will use a colon where they don’t need to. The colon can also emphasize a single word: “Just one word of advice for you, Benji: plastics.” If you’d used a comma or semicolon there, the reader wouldn’t have gotten the emphasis of the decision as strongly. Take the sentence “She has decided: She won’t have surgery to hide the scar.” The phrase “she has decided” warns the reader that the next phrase is directly connected, but also warns the reader that is not a continuous phrase. Stay with us.”Ī colon adds emphasis, too. In a driving metaphor, think of a colon as a tap on the brake before moving the car into a curve.Ī colon introduces a list of items, as in: “He asked Santa for a bunch of toys: Transformers, Hot Wheels, Minecraft figures, and Legos.” That one’s easy.Ī colon can introduce a long quotation or one of more than one sentence, because it says to a reader: “There’s more coming here than you thought. It says that what follows is so closely related to the first part of the sentence that a period is too abrupt, but not so close as a comma would indicate.
It signals to a reader that what follows is a list, an elaboration or definition, or something else that continues the thought. Just as colon the organ, um, moves things along, so does colon the punctuation mark.
#HOW TO INTRODUCE A QUOTE WITH A COLON HOW TO#
And the biggest question is how to deal with the text that follows one. It’s sometimes used when it’s not needed, or not used when it is. It’s in ordinary writing that the colon gets a bit confusing. We use it to mark time (he arrived at 3:15 pm), identify the source of biblical passages (Psalms 23:4), in mathematical ratios (the horse is running at 12:1), and, of course, in Web addresses (), among many other places. Why are units of measurement singular in compound adjectives, e.g.The colon is one of the most versatile punctuation marks (and organs). Why don't some contractions work in certain places? That is, why can't we answer the question "Is she coming?" with "Yes, she's"?
Why do I sometimes see are with company or team names, as in "Apple are announcing a new iPhone"? Why do I sometimes hear constructions like needs washed or needs looked at?
Is it "between you and me" or "between you and I"? How do I indicate possession when something belongs to two people? Should I use a or an before this word, acronym, or initialism? Looking for books about grammar, style and conventions? Check out our list of resources. Every top-level comment must accurately answer OP's question and provide a thoughtful, knowledgeable explanation based on evidence. r/grammar is a friendly and knowledgeable community dedicated to helping posters with questions about grammar, language, style, conventions and punctuation.