INCORRECT: The supermarket only sells six fruits, apples, oranges, limes, lemons, cherries, and blueberries.
CORRECT: The supermarket only sells six fruits: apples, oranges, limes, lemons, cherries, and blueberries.
Colons are often used for lists, such as the one shown above. However, they are only used if the list is not incorporated into the flow of the writing. (Example below.)
INCORRECT: The supermarket sells: apples, oranges, limes, lemons, cherries, and blueberries.
CORRECT: The supermarket sells apples, oranges, limes, lemons, cherries, and blueberries.
If you are against colons, a simple reconstruction of the sentence can eliminate any need for them.
Colons can also be used for emphasizing a word, as shown in the example below.
CORRECT: There was only one word to describe the girl: angry.
ВЫ ЧИТАЕТЕ
Writing and Grammar
Документальная прозаTips to improve your writing and avoid common grammar mistakes.
