The colon expands on the sentence that precedes it, often introducing a list that demonstrates or elaborates whatever was previously stated.
Examples
- There are many reasons for poor written communication: lack of planning, poor grammar, misuse of punctuation marks, and insufficient vocabulary.
- He collected a strange assortment of items: bird's eggs, stamps, bottle tops, string, and buttons.
- Peter had an eclectic taste in music: latin, jazz, country and western, pop, blues, and classical.
- He had just one fault: an enormous ego.
The colon is also used to divide the hour from the minutes in writing a time in English.
Examples
- 4:15 = "four fifteen"
- 6:45 = "six forty-five"