Common problems when using a colon to introduce lists

THE COLON

Common problems when using a colon to introduce lists.

The following examples show the most common mistakes and some solutions for avoiding them, when using a colon. As a rule of thumb, do not place a colon after a verb, preposition, or any introductory or transitional items:

Poor / wrong superordinate

WRONG

Research article introductions should include three things: a situation, problem, and solution.

BETTER

Research article introductions should include three elements: a situation, problem, and solution.

Incorrectly placed after verb

WRONG

A good research article introduction should include: a situation, problem, and solution.

BETTER

A good research article introduction should include a situation, problem, and solution. (no colon!)

Incorrectly placed after preposition

WRONG

A good research article introduction should consist of: verbs, prepositions, and introductory elements.

BETTER

A good research article introduction should consist of a situation, problem, and solution.
(without colon)

A good research article introduction should consist of three elements: a situation, problem, and solution.
(with colon)

Incorrectly placed after introductory elements

WRONG

A good research article introduction should include, for example: a situation, problem, and solution.

This database specializes in all disciplines of Engineering, including: electrical, electronics, and computer engineering.

This database specializes in many disciplines of Engineering, such as: electrical, electronics, and computer engineering.

BETTER

A good research article introduction should include, for example a situation, problem, and solution.

This database specializes in all disciplines of Engineering, including electrical, electronics, and computer engineering.

This database specializes in many disciplines of Engineering, such as electrical, electronics, and computer engineering.

Use a colon to introduce an explanation or expansion of the topic.

Use a colon after an 'independent clause' to introduce a second clause or phrase that explains or expands on what has been said in the first clause. Here the colon explains that it is 'entrepreneurship' (yrittäjyys) that is the resource which is scarce in Vietnam.

What Germany's chancellor sees in the creator of the Windhorst Tower, a 220-storey landmark in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City, is a paragon of his country's scarcest resource: entrepreneurship.

Often the titles of research articles and reports use this function of the colon to give further details explaining the contents of the reports.

Laser Welding Induced Alignment Distortion in Butterfly Laser Module Packages: Effect of Welding Sequence.

Use a colon to introduce a rule or principle.

Always apply the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

Use a colon to introduce a non-integrated quotation.

When quoting others' words, you have two choices about how you present these words: either enbedded within the normal flow of your text (integrated quotation) or outside your text (non-integrated quotation).

Non-integrated quotes

Quoting from an EPA website: "Populations of sooty shearwaters off the coast of California and Washington declined by 90 percent between 1987 and 1994, a period when sea surface temperatures increased. The decline represents a potential loss of more than 4 million birds. The warmer water triggers a reduction in upwelling, a circulatory process that brings nutrient-rich water to the ocean’s surface. Over the past two decades, reduced upwelling apparently has caused a 70 percent decrease in zooplankton, a key food source for shearwaters and the small fish that the shearwaters eat."

Integrated quotes

Haines said the study suggested climate change could "bring some health benefits, such as lower cold-related mortality and greater crop yields in temperate zones, but these will be greatly outweighed by increased rates of other diseases."

"This is clearly an epidemic of catastrophic proportion," said Larry Pedersen, British Columbia's chief forester.