Punctuation

to Learning English

Punctuation is the marks and symbols we use with written language that show the intent or meaning of the phrase or sentence.  Punctuation can also show how the written words should be said aloud.  Punctuation symbols may differ slightly from language to language.  The following symbols are the most common in the written English language.  They are not listed in order of importance or usage however.

The Dash  --

The dash is typed as two hyphens side by side with no space between the dash and the words on either side of it(—).  The dash is used to connect groups of words to other groups when you want a bit more emphasis in the sentence.   Don't over use it !

Dashes can function like parentheses and set off a comment within the sentence or like a colon and introduce a thought or comment that illustrates or emphasizes the preceding statement.  Dashes are stronger than commas, and more emphatic than a colon. 

Separating words in the middle of the sentence:

When you want to emphasize a point or set off an explanatory comment; and commas seem too weak, use dashes:

1.  Nat, a daring person, broke the speed record at the race track today.

1a.  Nat--a daring person--broke the speed record at the race track today.  (More emphasis)

2.  Professor Doit’s formula for learning English, practice, practice, practice, works well if you give it a concentrated try.

2a.  Profesor Doit’s formula for learning English--practice, practice, practice--works well if you give it a concentrated try.  (The dashes in #4 clearly mark where the comment begins and ends.  Using the commas before and after the comment could be confusing because of all the other commas in there.) 

Note:  You can also use a full clause or sentence as a component.

Nat--who is a daring person--broke the speed record at the race track today. 

Professor Doit’s formula for learning English--she calls it the practice, practice, practice method--works well if you give it a concentrated try.

Adding words to the end of a sentence:

A dash may be used to attach a comment to the end of a sentence if there is a clear break in the continuity of the sentence.

• Keith won't make his job interview--unless his roommate brings his car back soon.

• Angela doesn't believe in vampires--although she always carries garlic in her pocket.

Setting off appositives:

To set off an appositive phrase that already includes commas, use dashes.  (An appositive is a noun or pronoun that follows another noun or pronoun and identifies or explains it.  An appositive phrase is an appositive and its modifiers).  EXAMPLE:   Willy Nelson, a famous Western singer, wrote songs for many other performers.

                                The police in our town--Alex, Andy, Colin, and Seth--are all fine decent men.

The Hyphen  -

Hyphens are used in two ways:  (a) to form compounds and (b) to divide words at the end of a line.  The best way to know if a compound noun is two words, one word, or hyphenated, is to look it up in the dictionary. If you can’t find it in the word in the dictionary, treat the noun as separate words.

1. Use a hyphen to join two or more words when they convey a single idea and are used an adjective before a noun:  

• a long-standing promise               cherry-flavored lipstick           well-known song

NOTE:  IF the adjectives come after the noun, they are not hyphenated.

• The promise was long standing.       The lipstick was cherry flavored.            The song was well known.

(You should use a comma between two adjectives if the phrase would make sense if you added "and" between them, and if the two adjective are not a single idea.)

• The tall, green tree. (The tall and green tree.  Tall & green are two separate ideas.)  

• But Not:   The cherry, flavored lipstick.  (cherry and flavored form a single idea, they must be hyphenated when used before the noun they are describing).

If the first word of the two-word modifier ends in ly, use a hyphen only when the "ly word" acts as one idea with the second word AND if the "ly word" can be used alone with the noun.

• happily married couple--Happily modifies married, but you can't say a "happily couple"  Happily is an adverb modifying married only.  No hyphen is needed.
• dimly lit street--Dimly alone cannot describe street.  No hyphen is needed.
• friendly-acting dog--Friendly describes acting, and creates one idea--together they modify dog.  Friendly may also be used alone to describe the dog, so use a hyphen.

2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers from twenty-on to ninety-nine, and with fractions used as adjectives:  

twenty-two           Joan Collins must be seventy-five by now.      A one-fourth majority      

3. Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-, with the suffix -elect, with any prefix used with a proper noun or adjective or with numbers:

4. Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line if necessary.  Only divide between syllables unless otherwise noted.  

• Divide already hyphenated words only at the hyphen. 

• Words ending in -ing should be divided before the "ing" unless the final consonant is doubled before the suffix.  In that case, hyphenate between the consonants, e.g., shop-ping,  ask-ing, run-ning.

• Don't divide a word so a single letter stands alone, and don't put two-letter suffixes at the beginning of a new line:     lovely, not love-ly (Do not separate to leave ly beginning a new line.)    e-co-nom-ics (Separate only on either side of the nom; do not leave the initial e- at the end of a line.)

• Words with double consonants are divided between the consonants:   ad-mis-sion, fol-low, rob-ber.

• Never divide a one-syllable word!

5. Hyphens used with prefixes:

• The "style" now is to use fewer hyphen with prefixes, so many times you will just form one word.

nonjudgmental          cooperate         thirtyish  

• Hyphenate prefixes ending in a or i when the main word begins with an a or i.

anti-irritant            semi-interesting            ultra-active  

• Double e’s and double o’s are usually made into one word.

preemptive             coordinate  

•  Use the hyphen with the prefix re only when the "re" means again, and when there is a identical word without a hyphen that has a different meaning:

re-count/recount        re-collect/recollect      re-cover/recover     re-cede/recede    re-sign/resign

• When a prefix ends in one vowel and a root word begins with another, generally there is no hyphen added:

antiaircraft                 proactive

6.  Compound verbs, modifiers with adverbs, and other information that I don't know how to list: 

• Compound verbs are usually hyphenated or appear as one word. If you do not find the verb in the dictionary, hyphenate it.  
• Phrases that have verb and noun forms should appear as separate words when used as verbs and as one word when used as nouns.  

QUESTION MARKS & EXCLAMATION POINTS  ? ! ? ! ?  

Use a question mark only after a direct question.

• Will you pass me the salsa please? (a direct question)

• Please pass the salsa to me. (a request, not a question)

 Use a question mark when a sentence is half statement and half question.

• Feed the dog, will you?

• I admire you, but do you admire me?

Exclamation points show give emphasis to sentences showing strong emotion, e.g., surprise, fear, hatred, excitement.  Please do not use them in  formal business letters.

• I never want to see you again!

• Happy Birthday pet!

• You are so sweet!

Underlining and Italics:  Like this

Although these two things are not really punctuation marks, they are used in writing to indicate or to "set off" certain things in text.  Most experts  recommended that you choose either underlining or italics and use it consistently throughout a given document, especially in formal writing.  These lessons are not completely formal writing, so you may notice that I use both!    If you are writing an academic paper or something for publication, you should probably consult a style sheet for your particular situation.

Use  italics or underlining in the following ways:

Parentheses   (  )

Dates, sources, or ideas that are subordinate to the rest of the sentence are set apart in parentheses. Use parentheses only occasionally.   Too many not only clutter your writing, they detract from the things that really should be in parentheses.

1.  Use parentheses for extra, nonessential material in a sentence.

• The old house (supposedly haunted) had been empty for years.

• The year of her birth (1929) was also the year that the Stock Market crashed.

• Captain Kirk wore a girdle (according to the Daily Mirror) in his last movie.

2.  Use parentheses to enclose words or figures that clarify or for an aside.

•   I had to pay three thousand dollars ($3000).

• Jane came home (after getting stuck in traffic) three hours late for lunch.

Parentheses or dashes how less emphasis or importance than commas do.  Commas could have been used in this sentence also.

3.  Use parentheses to enclose numbers of listed items.

•    When baking a cake we need (1) a recipe, (2) the ingredients, and (3) a stove.  (Periods or half parentheses--1), 2), 3), etc.-- are acceptable also.)

 NOTE:  Periods go inside parentheses only if an entire sentence is inside the parentheses.

• I am writing to inquire about the warranty on my watch (Warranty enclosed as Attachment A.).     OR

• Please explain the warranty on my watch.  (I enclosed it as Attachment A.)        OR

• Please explain this warranty (Attachment A).

    Quotation Marks  "   "

Quotation Marks with Direct and Indirect Quotations

Direct quotations are the exact words spoken or written by another person.  Quote (quotation) marks are used to enclose these kinds of words every time they appear in your writing.  Note the ways to use quotes.

• The actor said, "My friends all helped make my success a reality."  (The first word of each complete sentence in the quote is capitalized.)

"Once upon a time, there lived a woodcutter and his wife and their two children, Hansel and Gretel." said Grandmother.  "The family was very poor, and didn't have enough food to eat.  The woodcutter's wife decided that if they children were gone, she and her husband would have a better life."  (Each quote needs its own set of quote marks.  A quote may be more than one sentence.)

"The witch's house was made of candy," read Grandmother, " and Hansel and Gretel began to nibble on it."  (If a quotation is interrupted, ("read Grandmother" is the interruption here) and then continued in mid-sentence, the first word of the second part of the quote is NOT capitalized.)

My brother said that he "likes the way Gramma reads" when Mother asked him.  (If only part of a sentence is a direct quote, do NOT capitalize the first word of the quote).

Indirect quotations are the rewording of a quote or the summary of something that was written or said.  Indirect quotes do not need quotation marks.

Grandmother told us that Hansel and Gretel began to nibble on the witch's candy house.  (Not a direct quote from the storybook.)

Quoting Poetry

A single line of poetry can be written like any other quotation. If you write two lines of a poem, show the end of the first line with a slash mark.

William Blake : "Tyger!  Tyger! [sic] burning bright / in the forests of the night,"

  Quotation of three or more lines should be set in an indented block.  When you do this, write the poem as it is normally shown.  You do not need quote marks in this case.  The indented block "sets" the poem off.  Indent the block one inch from the left margin.  This rule is true of any block quotations except a person's spoken words ( more under "Writing Dialogue").

Robert Frost wrote of obligations and dreams in his poem "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening":

                       Whose woods these are I think I know.

                        His house is in the village though;

                        He will not see me stopping here

                        To watch his woods fill up with snow.

Writing Dialogue

When you are writing dialogue (what people say to themselves or to each other ), each person's spoken words, even is it is only a word or two, is a separate paragraph. Set off dialogue tags such as "she said" or "he explained" with commas.  Each sentence by each person doesn't need to be a separate paragraph if they are said consecutively.  Narrative prose may be included in the paragraph if it is closely related to the dialogue.  If one person's speech is longer than one paragraph, use quote marks at the beginning and the end of the entire speech.  You do not have to use them around each paragraph.

Punctuation with Quotation Marks

As the old song says, "The rich get rich, and the poor get poorer." (comma after introductory phrase)

The old song says:  "The rich get rich, and the poor get poorer."  (colon after an independent clause)

2.  Commas and periods always go inside quotation marks, even a single quote ( a quote within a quote--use single quotation marks ('  ') for a quotation within another quotation.)

• Some dictators claim to follow "the will of the people."

• Yogi Bera said "It ain't over till it's over."

• Emma said, "Otto said, 'I wouldn't do that is I were you.' " (quote within a quote)

• World War One was supposed to be the war "to end all wars"; it wasn't so.

• A famous stage actor said there are three ways to "be a star":  hard work, good directors, and lots of luck.

• Lemuel asked, "Will you miss me when I leave?"

• Did Annie just say, "Your sound is bad"?

• I can't believe that you yelled "Fire"!

• Why did Clarise ask, "What is the time"?  (for a question both inside and outside the quote marks, just use one on the outside)

NOTE: Only one ending punctuation mark is used with quotation marks.  The stronger punctuation mark is the is one to use.  The question mark and the exclamation point are both "stronger" than a period.

Quotation Marks for Titles of Minor Works & Parts of Larger Works

Quotation marks are used to set off:

• Titles of short or minor works, such as songs, short stories, essays, short poems, one-act plays, and other literary works that are shorter than a three-act play or a complete book.  

• Titles of parts of larger works, such as chapters in books; articles in newspapers, magazines, journals, or other periodical publications; and episodes of television and radio series.

Do not use quotation marks when referring to sacred texts (e.g., the Bible, the Koran, The Talmud) or to legal documents.

Quotation Marks for Words

• Manufacturers sometimes raise prices because they have developed an "improved" version of their product.  ( an ironic use of improved)
• Many wilderness areas have been denuded because of "progress".

• Delicious sandwiches may be made using pitas, a Greek bread that can be split to form a pocket to hold the filling, and a variety of ingredients.
• When attaching boards at an angle to each other, it is best to toenail  the fasteners, that is to drive the nail or screw in at an angle.

3.  Do not put quotation marks around the titles of your essays.  

4.  Do not use quotation marks for common nicknames, bits of humor, technical terms that readers are likely to know, and trite or well-known expressions.

• They called him Butch.  ( no quote marks around a nickname)

• When Cissy gets nervous, she runs around like a chicken with its head cut off.  (A trite expression, or cliché in American English)

PERIODS AND ELLIPSES    . and  . . .

The period is the most common way to end a sentence.  It doesn't ask much of us, so it is easy to use it properly.

The Period and the Sentence:

• Use a period after a declarative sentence.   You are my friend.

• Use a period after an indirect question.    I asked Eli why he was late.

• Use a period after a imperative sentence (if the sentence shows strong emotion, use an exclamation point instead).  Shut the door.

• If the last word in the sentence ends in a period, do not follow it with another period.  Lilly bought chicken, noodles, apples, etc.  (etc. ends with a period no matter where it is used.  Since it is at the end of the sentence, you do not need another period.)

The Period and other Uses:

• Use a period after initials used in names.   (B. B. King, W. E. B. Dubois, Johnny B. Good)

•  Use a period after the abbreviations Mr., Mrs., Ms., Dr., and St. (Saint) when they are used with a name and Jr., Sr., and Esq., used after a name.  Miss is not an abbreviation, so doesn't need a period.
• Some other abbreviations need a period after each letter.  (P. O. = Post Office; M. O. = money order)

• Other abbreviations can  be written several ways, e.g., revolutions per minute = rpm, r.p.m., Rpm, RPM.  Styles change and some that used to use periods no longer do.  If in doubt, check the dictionary.

• Use a period with abbreviations showing time.  ( A.M., a.m.,  P.M., p.m.,  B.C., and A.D.)

• Use a period (decimal point) to show fractions and dollars and cents.  ($17.76. Four and a quarter may be written 4.25)

Ellipsis Marks:

If you leave words out of a quotation, use ellipsis marks to indicate the omitted words.  You might have to omit those words because they have no relevance to your subject, or because the full quote is too long.  To show that something has been omitted from a quote, use three full stops (known as ellipsis).

The most important consideration when using an ellipsis is to NOT to alter the intended meaning of the original material.

1.  To indicate ellipsis, type or write three dots equally spaced apart.

• Insert a space before and after the ellipsis if the omitted section is in the middle of the quotation.

• Do not use the ellipsis to create suspense or emphasis in your own writing; there are better punctuation marks for this (i.e., semicolons, colons and dashes).

2.  When ellipsis occurs at the end of a sentence, the appropriate ending punctuation must still be used (period, question mark, exclamation point).  Space before adding the ending  mark.

• The law states, "All vehicles must be registered . . . ." (three dots for the ellipsis, and then a period)

• "We pledge allegiance to the flag . . .  .  One nation . . . with liberty and justice for all." (The period is after a full sentence in the quote.  The other ellipsis indicates words missing within a sentence.)

The Ampersand  &

The ampersand  is a symbol for the word and.  It's used mainly in casual personal writing.  For anything else, it is usually better the write the word and. 

Exceptions are:

• some company names; e.g., AT&T 

•  if there isn't much space, but a lot of text in a chart or a table

•  in a logo or symbol of a group or business 

• for some academic references; e.g., (Funk & Wagnall, 1967)

Slashes and Brackets   /, \, [ ]

Brackets

• Square brackets are used to enclose material within quoted matter that is not part of the quotation.  They also sometimes enclose editorial notes, page numbers, or other documentation inserted in a text. When you insert something within a quotation, use a pair of brackets to enclose the addition.   The politician remarked, "I intend to guarantee every working man [and woman] a living wage."

• Brackets are used like this [sic, which means "thus in the original"] to show that an error in quoted material is not an error in copying the quote, but as the quote is in the original text.

"I wish to complane [sic] about the quality of education in this country." (Complane should be spelled complain--an error that the original writer made, not the copier.)  

• Brackets are used to enclose comments, criticisms, or corrections inserted by anyone other than the originator of the quote.

Everyone agreed that the food at the new bistro [Le Slops] was unusual.

Slashes

The only time slashes are used in formal writing is to separate lines of poetry when the lines do not occur as originally written.  In other writing slashes are used in several ways:

•  in abbreviations such as p/o (percent of) and to replace per (rev./min., words/min.)   

• to separate parts of a choice.   Libby/ George will lead the parade.   

• to separate parts of fractions.  3/4, 1 1/2

@ means at:  I got some great shoes @ $5 a pair.

# is a "hash mark" or a pound sign (weight, not British currency).  It is also used as a number sign:  Joe was #1 with his company.  CC bought 5# (pounds) of potatoes.

$ is the dollar sign.  Pete owes me $10.

% is the symbol for percent.  Dotty received 100% on the test.

^ is a carat.  A carat is used when to show that an addition or correction has been made to a line of writing.  The corrected word(s) is written above the carat mark in the line of text.   

          Sarah's

I forgot ^ birthday.

* is an asterisk.  It is used to indicate that there is more information elsewhere on the page explaining or elaborating the word , phrase or sentence so marked.

+ is the plus sign.  It is used for mathematics.  12 + 12 = 24

= means equals.  It is also used in math equations.   2x + 2x = 2y

< means  less than.  Used in math.

> means more than.  Used in math.

Lists--numbers and bulleted

Lists are often used in casual writing and promotional material.  These lists don't follow many rules, and use icons or symbols of all types in front of each entry.  Lists are better is introduced by a full explanatory sentence followed by a colon.  The rules that lists should follow are these:

2.  The items in the list should be of like syntax.  (all verbs of the same tense, all nouns, all adjective, all pronouns, all declarative sentences, all questions, etc.)  

The Apostrophe  '

Apostrophes are used  has three ways:  

1) to form possessives of nouns  

2) to show the omission of letters  

3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers and symbols.

Apostrophes are NOT used for possessive pronouns (mine, yours, his, hers, its, ours, theirs), they already show possession .  ("It's" is not the possessive of "it"!  "It's" is the contraction for "it is")

1)  Forming possessives of nouns

When do you need to form a possessive?  Ordinarily, if a noun  "belongs" to noun.  (the tail of the cat = the cat's tail;  the car of the movie star = the movie star's car)  If  a sentence has "of the" between two nouns, you can use the possessive for the second noun.  If a possessive is already shown and you want to be sure it is correct, turn the sentence around and try "The (second noun) OF THE (first noun)".  If it makes sense, the possessive form is correct to use. 

• the paper of today = today's paper           

• The house of the neighbor = the neighbor's house.

the paper (first noun) of today (second noun).  Make a possessive of the second noun (today's)

EXCEPTION:  If the noun after "of the" is a building, an object, or a piece of furniture, then no apostrophe is needed!

• edge of the table  = table edge   color of the bicycle = bicycle color  arm of the chair = chair arm

Here's how to make a noun show possession:

•  Singular words need an " 's" added to the end of the word--even if the word already ends in "s".   (Success's cost can sometimes be no personal life.)

•  Plural words also need an " 's".  IF the word does not end in "s" already.  (men = men's; children = children's)

• When making a plural noun that ends in "s" show possession, just add an apostrophe (') after the "s".

1. the girl's skates (one girl owns the skates)

2. the girls' skates ( more than one girl owns skates)

3. the cow's horn (one cow has the horn)

4. the cows' horns (talking about the horns of more than one cow)

NOTE:  If the noun is a proper noun that ends in "s" or an "s" sound, you can use either the " 's" or just the " ' " after the "s" in forming the singular possessive.  (Mr. Roberts' car (Mr. Roberts owns the car) )

• Singular compound words follow the same rule as singular words. (add 's to the end of the word)

1. my sister -in-law's coat                

2. the commander-in-chief's briefing              

 (If the compound noun is plural, make the first word in the compound word plural, and still add " 's" to the end of the last word.)

1.  my (two) brothers-in-law’s fishing boat  

• If more than one person possesses an object, add " 's" to the last noun. 

1. Will and Steve’s motorcycle is a Honda.  (They own the Honda jointly.)

2. Will's and Steve's motorcycles are red.  (They each own a red Honda.)

3. Will and Steve's motorcycles are painted alike.  (They own more than one motorcycle jointly.)

4. Will's and Steve's motorcycles are painted alike.  (They each own more than one motorcycle.)

• Use possessive case in front of a gerund (ing word).

1. Annie's typing was marginally acceptable.

2. The rain didn't stop Marvin's driving to the resort.

3. He adored her laughing at his jokes.

2)  Showing omission of letters 

Contractions 

Contractions are when two words* ( at least one of which is an auxiliary verb) are merged to form a shorter, quicker way to write or say the concept.  Contractions are common in informal English writing and talking.  The apostrophe is always placed at the spot where the letter(s) has been removed.

don't = do not       she's = she is      you'll = you will      who's = who is  couldn't = could   not  didn't = did not  

 *A contraction may also be formed with numbers, although it only indicates that numbers have been omitted, not that two sets of numbers have been merged.  The apostrophe shows this omission.  Be sure that it is clear to your reader or listener what the complete number should be.  These "contractions" are also only used  in informal writing.

1999 = ‘99  ( It only happened a few years ago--maybe in '99)          1776 =  '76 (as in the Sprit of  '76)

3)  Indicating the plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols

 You have a choice here:  to use an apostrophe to show plurals of  numbers, letters, and figures; or not to use an apostrophe.  Whichever you choose to do, be sure that you are consistent within any given piece of writing you are doing.   If you use the apostrophe, add " 's" to the end of the letter, number, symbol.  

• Derek visited four Ph.D.'s when he was researching his thesis.  OR   four Ph.D.s

• two C's = two letters that happen to both be C.   Lance only got A's in his history tests.

• seven 1's = seven numbers that are each 1.  There are seven 1's in her phone number.

• 17 ?'s = 17 symbols that look like ?  Your essay has 17 ?'s in it.

   Afterthoughts:

1.  It may help to remember that the item belongs to whatever is to the left of the apostrophe.

2. When you have finished writing, you should proofread for apostrophes.  If you tend to forget apostrophes, check every word that ends in "s" or "es" and be sure that is doesn't need an apostrophe.  If you tend to add too many apostrophes, check every one to see if it matches a rule for using an apostrophe.

SEMICOLONS  ;

  Semicolons are the most misunderstood and feared punctuation mark there is I think.  Most people just ignore them because they are not sure when to use them ( I am guilty of that myself!).  Since I am no expert on semicolons, I looked through every grammar book I had and found these rules.

     Use a semicolon when:

CORRECT EXAMPLES--There is a relationship with the sentence pairs shown below:

• Let me know about your schedule; I will call you tomorrow.  (The calling is related to the schedule)
• I went to the store already; I didn't go to the dry cleaner's.  (going to the store and going to the dry cleaner's are both errands that had to be run.)
• Bill is a stinker; he dances well though.  (being a stinker and dancing well are both traits of Bill)

INCORRECT EXAMPLES--There is no relationship between the two clauses in each example.

• Gloria is Bulgarian; Rod likes pizza.  (Well, obviously no relation between these  main ideas!)

• The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain; I went to Madrid last year.  (Just because Madrid is in Spain doesn't make these sentences a related pair.)

 Use a semicolon when:

• Jay like to eat; in fact, he would eat six times a day if he could.

• I plan to go to the movies; furthermore I plan on going alone!

 Use a semicolon when:

• Isabella packed a lot of clothes for her trip; e.g., skirts, slacks, sneakers, jeans, sweaters, and shoes. OR  (if only three or less items are listed, just use a comma before the introductory word) 

• Isabella packed a lot of clothes for her trip, e.g., skirts, slacks, and shoes.

 Use a semicolon when:

1.  If items in a series have commas other places besides after the item, it is best to use semicolons to separate the items.

•  Relatives from Chicago, Illinois; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Cleveland, Ohio; and Podunk, Iowa came for the family reunion last month.

2.  If two sentences are joined by a conjunction, but the first sentence has once or more commas in it, use a semicolon before the conjunction.  This makes the entire sentence easier to understand.

• After I call my mother, I will to call Alan; and that is a promise.

• If CC is able, she will fly to the coast in the fall; and if Annie is able, she will fly to meet her.

 DO NOT use a semicolon when:

• I would be hurt, however, if he started dating my best friend.

• Edgar has a marvelous speaking voice, therefore, we want him to try broadcasting.

Colon   :

A colon indicates:  "Note what follows" .  They are used as follows:

• This is want Mother needed from the store:  eggs, milk, oranges, jicama, papaya, and rice.  ("store" is a noun.  It is okay to use a colon.)

• What I bought was the following:  milk, soda, candles, apples, and beans.  (note the words "the following" always a clue that a colon is appropriate.)

• The  travel agent suggested:  Paris, Rome, Singapore, and Helsinki.  (INCORRECT:   "suggested" is a verb!  No colon after a verb.)

• The  travel agent suggested  Paris, Rome, Singapore, and Helsinki.  (CORRECT)

• I went to camp with:  a bedroll, a flashlight, a mess kit, and a snakebite serum.  (INCORRECT:  "with" is a preposition.  No colon!)

• I went to camp with a bedroll, a flashlight, a mess kit, and a snakebite serum. (CORRECT)

3.  To introduce a direct quotation that is longer than three typewritten lines, use a colon.  Single space the long quotation and indent five spaces from each margin. You may use quotation marks around the quote is you wish, but it isn't necessary.

One of Will's favorite authors wrote as follows:  

                                                                 Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. 

                                                                 Perhaps this person will never be disappointed 

                                                                  or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the 

                                                                  way people do when they have a dream to follow. 

                                                            By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept  Paulo Coelho 

Other uses for colons:

1.  After the salutation of a business letter even when addressing someone by his/her first name. DO NOT use a semicolon after a salutation.   When writing personal letters, a comma is used after the salutation. 

• Dear Sir:

• Dear Mr. Martinez:                       

• Dear Chairman of the Board:

2.  Between the hours and the minutes when writing the time.    

• 12:30 p.m.

• 7.45 a.m.

3.  Between chapter and verse when writing Biblical notations.  

• Luke 4:12     

• Genesis 1:1

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