1. Colons:

2. After a salutation  Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter.  Examples-  Dear Judge Parker:  Dear Governor Whitman:

3. Between Numerals Indicating Time  Use a colon between the hours, minutes, and seconds of a number indicating time.  8:30 p.m.  9:45 a.m  10:25:55

4. For Emphasis  Use a colon to emphasize a word, a phrase, a clause or a sentence that explains or adds impact to the main clause.  His guest lecturers are local chefs who learn a lesson themselves: Homeless people are worth employing.

5. To Introduce a Quotation  Use a colon to formally introduce a quotation, a sentence, or a question.  Directly a voice in the corner rang out wild and clear: “I’ve got him! I’ve got him!”

6. To Introduce a List  Use a colon to introduce a list.  I got all the proper equipment: scissors, a bucket of water to keep things clean, some cotton for the stuffing, and needle and thread to sew it up.

7. A Closer Look – Do not use a colon between a verb and its object or complement, or between a preposition and its object.  INCORRECT: Max has: a snowmobile, an ATV, and a canoe.  CORRECT: Max has plenty of toys: a snowmobile, and ATV, and a canoe.  INCORRECT: Dad watches a TV show about: cooking wild game.  CORRECT: Dad watches a TV show about a new subject: cooking wild game.

8. Between Title and Subtitle  Use a colon to distinguish between a title and a subtitle, volume and page, and chapter and verse in literature.  Writers INC: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning  Encyclopedia Americana IV:211  Psalm 23:1-6