Hello everyone, welcome back to my channel, Sparkle English,
where I teach you how to improve your level of English. This is a
new video on colon rules and how to use colons in sentences. This
is the fifth video in my English writing essentials videos. So if
you haven't already, make sure to subscribe to Sparkle English,
and you can check out my other videos in this series on how to
use commas quotation marks apostrophes, how to capitalize,
and other different videos I have that are essential to
helping you become a better English speaker and writer. So
let's get started.
In this lesson, you will learn how to use colons correctly when
writing in English. So this here is a colon.
And this is a semicolon.
I will discuss semicolons in my next video, but today we're
going to focus on colons. colons have many different uses. They
can be used to introduce a quotation, an example a series
or an explanation.
They can also be used to separate two independent
clauses.
And finally, a colon can be used to show emphasis. So we're going
to go through each of these sections one by one, and also
have some practice for you at the end of this video.
So the first rule is use a colon to introduce an item or list if
the list comes after a complete sentence. For example, we need
many things for the party: cups, napkins, ice and balloons. You
can see here we have placed a colon after party. I want you to
view the colon almost like an arrow. Because it's pointing to
the things that we need for the party, we can almost use the
colon, it almost means which is or which are the following.
So when we use a colon to introduce an item or list, it's
almost like saying we need many things for the party, which are
cups, napkins, ice and balloons. But rather than writing which is
or which are, we just have to place a colon.
The next example. Last year, I visited many countries: Spain,
Italy, Portugal and France. Again, we're using a colon. And
again, it's like saying which are last year I visited many
countries, which are Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. The
colon connects these two clauses. This first is an
independent clause. And this here is a dependent clause. And
we can use the colon to connect the two to make one full
sentence.
She has had three boyfriends: Kyle, George and Aaron. Again,
we're using the colon and it's like an arrow pointing to the
boyfriends that she just spoke about in the first sentence.
Okay.
We can also use colons to provide further clarification in
a sentence. For example, we have two options: eat at home or go
to a restaurant. We use the colon here, because we're
providing further clarification. In the sentence, we have first
stated that there's two options. And now we use the colon which
is again like an arrow, and like saying, which are, eat at home
or go to a restaurant. These are the two options we have. The
next example, I'm not sure what to do: quit my job or stay for
another year. Again, we're using a colon to connect these two
clauses.
Because if you just put a period after do, I'm not sure what to
do, period, quit my job or stay for another year. It's
separating these two statements that should be connected.
Because quit my job or stay for another year is directly
connected to this independent clause here. I'm not sure what
to do.
We can also use colons to show emphasis example. She was always
there for one person: her mother. We want to emphasize who
she was always there for. So we have to put a colon. We have a
full sentence, a full independent clause here. She was
always there for one person and then we use the
colon to emphasize that the mother is who we're talking
about. If this sentence was, she was always there for her mother,
you wouldn't need a colon. But here they're trying to emphasize
that her mother was the person that she was there for. I
finally met my lifelong hero: Nicolas Cage. We have one goal:
win this tournament.
Again, we're using the colon to provide emphasis. And again
connecting these two sentences, which are directly related.
We can also use colons to separate independent clauses. A
colon can be used to separate two independent clauses when the
second clause is directly related to the first clause. And
when the emphasis is on the second clause.
In other words, we use a colon to join two independent clauses.
When the second clause is a definition, explanation, or
summary of the first, you can also use a semi colon or a
period between two independent clauses that are related. So if
you look here, here are some examples. The results were in:
Madonna had won the Grammy. Both of these are two independent
clauses. These are two sentences that work by themselves, the
results were in. Madonna had won the Grammy, you could put a
period here, or you could just put a semi colon. But because
this second independent clause is directly related to this
first independent clause, it's better to use a colon.
Because this all works together as one sentence, these are the
results that they're talking about in this first sentence.
Another example, the judge made her decision: we lost the case.
Again, these two sentences are directly related. And the
emphasis is on the second independent clause, we lost the
case. Again, it's directly related to the first sentence,
so we use a colon.
You can also use a colon before quote when the quote is
introduced by a complete sentence. So let's look at some
examples. In the first example, we're just going to use a comma.
Jack said, comma, let's go to the cinema. Here, we're going to
use a comma because this is just two words, the whole sentence,
Jack said. You need to connect that with a comma because it
doesn't work by itself. It's not a complete independent clause,
Jack said. You have to say what Jack said. So we just use a
comma here. Jack said, "Let's go to the cinema."
But in the second one, it's a complete sentence. Jack had one
rule: "We will not watch a horror movie." So in this case,
we would use a colon because this is a complete sentence. She
advised, "Bring a jacket tomorrow." Again, we can use a
comma here and not a colon because she advised does not
work all by itself. It works with bring a jacket tomorrow
because that is the advice. She offered the following advice:
"Bring an umbrella because it's going to rain tomorrow." Again,
here we'd use a colon because this is a complete sentence. You
could also use a comma. But in this case, a colon also works
because this is a complete sentence that is introducing the
quote.
We also use colons to introduce a bulleted or numbered list. So
if you were doing a PowerPoint presentation or creating a flyer
or pamphlet, you would use colons to introduce this list.
This is also common if you're using colons on your website for
example. In today's lesson, we will practice: grammar,
punctuation, spelling, writing. Campers need to bring: backpack,
jacket, water bottle, hiking boots.
Okay, so now we're going to do some practice and see what you
have learned from this lesson. Which of these sentences require
colons?
So some of them do not require colons. So I want to see if you
can tell the difference of when we need to use colons and when
we don't.
I recommend you take a piece of paper and try to see if you can
write down which sentences you think need colons and which ones
you don't. And then see how many you get right out of seven. We
have seven. So let's see how many you can get right out of
seven. The results were in: we had a new president. There are
three countries in North America:
Canada, the United States and Mexico. The three countries in
North America are Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
After university, I want to travel to Australia, New
Zealand, and China.
I will travel to three places after university, Australia, New
Zealand, and China.
I'll never forget his last words: "You can do anything you
put your mind to."
I couldn't decide what to do: stay with him or break up with
him and start over.
Okay, so pause this video if you want to think about it before
you hear the answers.
So let's get started with the first one. The results were in:
we had a new president. Here, we're going to put a colon after
in. The results were in: we had a new president. We're doing
this because we're separating two independent clauses that are
directly related.
We're putting the emphasis on we had a new president, because
those are the results of the election or of the campaign.
There are three countries in North America. Now we're going
to put a colon afterwards, because we are introducing a
list. Canada, the United States and Mexico. Now the third
sentence is what might get people to be a bit confused.
This says the three countries in North America are Canada, the
United States and Mexico. Some people might think that you have
to put a colon here. But this is incorrect. We do not need to put
a colon here, because we have the word are and this verb to be
are connects this sentence. You don't need a colon or semi colon
or anything. Because the full sentence is the three countries
in North America are Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Whereas in the second sentence here, there is no word
connecting these two parts. So we have to use a colon, because
this sentence here is introducing the list.
The next one, after university, I want to travel to Australia,
New Zealand and China.
Again, you might be tempted to put a colon here after to. But
that would be incorrect. You do not need and you cannot use a
colon there because you have the word to. So this sentence was
correct on its own. After university, I want to travel to
Australia, New Zealand and China.
I'm going to erase these, so it's not going to be confusing
for you. Both of these sentences are correct as they are.
What about this next one, I will travel to three places after
university. Here we put a colon,
Australia, New Zealand and China. Again, remember that this
colon here works like an arrow pointing and saying which are
the following. So I will travel to three places after
university, which are the following Australia, New Zealand
and China. This colon connects these two clauses.
I'll never forget his last words: "You can do anything you
put your mind to." Here we're going to put a colon after
words, because we have a full sentence that introduces the
quote.
And the last one, I couldn't decide what to do: stay with him
or break up with him and start over.
Here we're going to put a colon after do. I couldn't decide what
to do: stay with him or break up with him and start over.
Because this second part is connected directly connected to
this first independent clause, and it's giving more information
about this first sentence emphasizing these two options,
stay with him or break up with him and start over.
Okay,
so I want to see how many you got out of seven. There should
be five
colons that we use.
And if you already knew that these two here were correct,
then you would get seven out of seven correct. Okay.
So thank you very much for watching this video. I hope this
made sense to you. I know, col ns can be a little difficult.
ut the more you practice, the m re you will become used to us
ng colons. You often see colons in more formal writing or in nov
ls
essays or articles that you read online. In casual writing to
your friends and family, and things like that we don't
typically use colons. In my next video, I will teach you how t
use semi colons and we wil compare a little bit th
difference between colons an semi colons. Thank you onc
again for watching. I encourag you to practice in the commen
s section and try to write yo r own sentences using colons. A
d if you haven't already, ma e sure to subscribe to Spark
e English for more videos on h w to improve your level of Engli
h so you can become a bett r English speaker, write
, listener, and reader. Than s again for watching and I'll s
e you in my next tutoria