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The Colon (:)

Rule #1:• Use a colon after a clause that

introduces a formal list. • Do not use a colon unless the words

preceding the list form a complete statement.

The Colon (:)

Incorrect:• The poets I like best are: Whitman,

Frost, and DickinsonCorrect: • The poets I like best are these:

Whitman, Frost, and Dickinson.Also correct: • The poets I like best are Whitman,

Frost, and Dickinson.

The Colon (:)

Incorrect: • The basket was filled with: apples,

oranges, and bananas.Correct: • The basket was filled with the following

fruits: apples, oranges, and bananas.Also correct: • The basket was filled with apples,

oranges, and bananas.

The Colon (:)

Rule #2:• Use a colon after a statement that

introduces an explanation or amplification of the statement?

The Colon (:)

Example:• One characteristic accounted for his

success: complete honesty.• There was only one way to solve the

mystery: we had to find the missing letter.

The Colon (:)

Rule #3:• Use a colon after quotation tags like

“he said” when they introduce a long quotation (defined as four or more lines long).

The Colon (:)

Rule #4:• Use a quotation after the formal

salutation of a letter, between the hour and minute figures in time designations, between a chapter and verse reference from the Bible, and between a title and subtitle.

The Dash (—)

Rule #1:Use a dash to indicate an abrupt shift or break in the thought of a sentence or to set off an informal or emphatic parenthetical remark.

The Dash (—)

Examples:• Harvey decided to go to—but you

wouldn’t be interested in that story.• Mary told me—would you believe it?

—that she preferred a quiet vacation at home.

• At the age of three—such is the power of youth—Judy could stand on her head.

The Dash (—)

Rule #2:• Use dashes to set off an appositive

or a parenthetical element that is internally punctuated.

The Dash (—)

Example:• Her roommates—Jane, Laura, and

Ruth—are spending the weekend with her.