Colons:

For those of you who are unfamiliar with what a colon is, it is this symbol ( : ), and they are used to show lists of information.

Colons are used commonly with lists of things: shopping lists, notes, and anything else in a sequence that is separated by commas. A colon does not separate two sentences; the thingy that does that is a semicolon, which I just used and will be covered in the next chapter.

Colons are also used as shown at the top of this chapter. They can be used in research-type writing: e. g. essays. Below are some examples of when to use colons:

Example One:

(That was the example.)

(Two) Shopping was difficult for Jessica because she often forgot what she needed: green beans, milk, and lots of chips to stock up the cabinets...

However, not every time you have a list is it necessary for a colon. For example, when you flat out announce that you will be listing things, you do not need a colon, however, it is okay to still put one there. If you say, "Jessica was about to give an example which included things such as words, phrases, and information..." then a colon is not needed. Other words that can replace a colon are: such as, including, containing, the following, excluding, etc...

Still don't know if you need a colon? Leave a comment, and we'll try to help you out!

Happy writing :)