Colons, Semicolons & Em Dashes
A colon (:) introduces what follows from what precedes. Uses: (1) to introduce a list: "You will need: a passport, a visa, and travel insurance." (2) to elaborate or explain: "There is one problem: we're out of budget." (3) before a long quotation. The sentence before a colon must be a complete independent clause. After a colon, the first word may or may not be capitalised depending on style.
A colon (:) introduces what follows from what precedes. Uses: (1) to introduce a list: "You will need: a passport, a visa, and travel insurance." (2) to elaborate or explain: "There is one problem: we're out of budget." (3) before a long quotation. The sentence before a colon must be a complete independent clause. After a colon, the first word may or may not be capitalised depending on style.
Practice
Which sentence uses the colon correctly?
The solution is simplestop spending more than you earn.
Put the words in the correct order: