Booher's Rules of Business Grammar - Dianna Booher 2009
Colon scope—here’s the scoop
Punctuation problems
COLONS BEFORE A LIST
As a traffic signal, colons tell readers to come to a stop, keep idling, and look ahead. They stress, or highlight, what follows. They represent a bigger break than semicolons, but not quite a complete stop like periods.
They introduce either a series or a list that follows. That list may be either a formal list of items set up with bullets, dashes, or icons or an informal list of words and phrases to complete the sentence. Examples:
Please input the following information:
—Employee ID
—Department password
—Social security number
Please bring pertinent information to the meeting: travel expenses, trip reports, leads, and survey responses.
Bentley becomes bent out of shape about employees not performing at their best and shares his philosophy routinely: Fire them.
Here’s the common mistake: putting a colon after a verb or an object of a preposition. Instead, the part before the colon must be able to stand alone as a complete thought.
Incorrect:
Please mail me: a travel pillow, steamer, suit, and shoes.
Correct:
Please mail me a travel pillow, steamer, suit, and shoes.
Please mail me these items: a travel pillow, steamer, suit, and shoes.
Incorrect:
Company officers include: Snuffy Smith, Bako Patel, and Amery Barrow.
Correct:
Company officers include Snuffy Smith, Bako Patel, and Amery Barrow.
Company officers include these individuals: Snuffy Smith, Bako Patel, and Amery Barrow.
Incorrect:
We are planning to open factories in: Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Sydney, and Caracas.
Correct:
We are planning to open factories in Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Sydney, and Caracas.
We are planning to open factories in these cities: Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Sydney, and Caracas.
Note one exception: A colon after the verb can be correct if used to set off a formal list. For example:
Our presentation covered several key points. They were:
Talent management
Structural management
Relationship capital
Rights allocation
Just as a car comes to a stop and honks its horn before it pulls into a parade, a clause, complete and full of air, must stop and honk before it starts into a list. The colon is that blaring horn: “Here comes a parade.”
Memory tip
The words before a colon must be able to stand alone as a complete sentence. If they don’t, a colon is incorrect. (Exception: a colon before a formal list)