Colons 101

When a colon appears in a sentence, it usually gives the silent impression of “as follows,” “which is/are,” or “thus.”

Example: We have two options here: build a snowman, or make hot chocolate.

Colons can also separate independent clauses when a) the second clause is directly related to the first clause and b) when the emphasis is on the second clause. It’s softer than the period, but a little harder than the semicolon.

Example: Frosty is not melting: he is going to live forever.

Should I capitalize the word following a colon? Styles differ, but APA says it is best to capitalize the first word after a colon if what follows forms a complete sentence. Never capitalize the word after a colon when introducing a list.

Example: I have several plans for my snow day: First, I am going to start a snowball fight. Second, I am going to shovel the driveway.

Example: A snowman usually has three accessories: a carrot, a scarf, and a tophat.

Pro tip: Think of colons as a flashing arrow that points to the information following it.

When writing this post, we referenced this blog post by our client, Grammarly.