Colon scope—here’s the scoop - Punctuation problems

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:

Image Talent management

Image Structural management

Image Relationship capital

Image 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)