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titleThe Colon

The colon’s job is to introduce something: a list, a long quotation, an explanatory phrase, or a phrase (a group of words) to which you wish to draw attention.

Standard Sentences

I teach several Shakespeare-related classes: Shakespeare and Film, Shakespeare, and Modern Shakespearean Fiction.

Shakespeare coined one of my favorite expressions: “Sweet are the uses of adversity.”

When cooking biscuits, remember one thing above all: check the oven frequently.

I hope you share my opinion of the colon: it’s exciting!

None of the above may surprise you, but would you have considered the following use of the colon nonstandard?

Nonstandard

The objectives of this course include: organization and coherence in writing, advanced critical thinking skills, and mastery of editing skills.

It is not standard written English. You may be thinking, “But the colon precedes a list!” True, but take a look at the following three sentences that are standard written English.

Standard Sentences

a. The objectives of this course are organization and coherence in writing, advanced critical thinking skills, and mastery of editing skills.

b. The objectives of this course include organization and coherence in writing, advanced critical thinking skills, and mastery of editing skills.

c. The objectives of this course include the following: organization and coherence in writing, advanced critical thinking skills, and mastery of editing skills.

The reason the colon is standard in the last example is that the first chunk of the sentence (“The objectives of this course include the following”) could stand by itself as a sentence, whereas “The objectives of this course include” could not since we’re waiting for a noun to appear right away after the verb “include” so it cannot stand independently“include.”

The chunk that could be a sentence (although after a pause we’d still expect some information of what “the following” is ) is called an independent clause.

Here’s Here, then, is the rule: A colon is always preceded by an independent clause.

Independent Clauses

An independent clause contains a minimum of one noun (acting as a subject) and one verb. The exception to this is a command such as “Go!” where the subject is assumed to be
“you.” It is a clause that can stand on its own. All of the following are independent clauses; each one expresses a complete thought.

She read the book.

I found an interesting thing in the woods.

You should shovel the sidewalk.

He passed!

They like Shakespeare.


Dependent Clauses

A dependent clause cannot stand on its own. Properly used, a dependent clause will always be a part of a sentence that possesses an independent clause. In the following sentences, the dependent
clause is in bold; the independent clause is in italics.

Because she had time this afternoon, she read the book.

I found an interesting thing in the woods that are nearby.

You should shovel the sidewalk because someone might slip.

After studying for the exam, he passed!

They like Shakespeare even though they are not majoring in English.

Note that the dependent clauses either include connecting words at the beginning such as because and even though or lack a subject as in “After studying for the exam” or “that are nearby.”
Please note that a dependent clause cannot be treated as a sentence. Such an error is called a sentence fragment (another section in this work).


Because a colon is always preceded by an independent clause, a colon does not always precede a list. It only precedes a list if the colon is itself preceded by an independent clause. Thus, the following sentences require no colon.

Standard Sentences

In preparing to teach my course on Shakespeare and film, I watched Strange Brew, Strange Illusion, and A Midwinter’s Tale.

I studied many things, including Shakespeare’s comedies, his histories, and his tragedies.

The things I appreciate about Shakespeare are his intelligence, his swordsmanship, and his gigantic forehead.

In the sentences earlier, it would be incorrect to place a colon after “watched,” “including,” or “are” because what comes before those words could not have stood independently.

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