Colon (punctuation): Difference between revisions
imported>Ro Thorpe (→Punctuation mark: time for a nice list...or maybe just a space...?) |
imported>Hayford Peirce (hedged yer bets about the space before) |
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==Spacing== | ==Spacing== | ||
As a punctuation mark, one increasingly sees the colon used with a space on either side, as there exist options for this to occur automatically on some processors (and it is a habit in [[texting]]). But this is not considered correct, and the colon should be used without a space before, exactly like other punctuation marks, the informal use of a hyphen as a dash - like this - being the only exception. | As a punctuation mark, one increasingly sees the colon used with a space on either side, as there exist options for this to occur automatically on some processors (and it is a habit in [[texting]]). But, in English, although not in French, this is not considered correct, and the colon should be used without a space before, exactly like other punctuation marks, the informal use of a hyphen as a dash - like this - being the only exception. | ||
The spacing option is intended to be used in such examples as: | The spacing option is intended to be used in such examples as: | ||
:'''dollar : yen = 1 : 20''' | :'''dollar : yen = 1 : 20''' | ||
Revision as of 22:21, 20 March 2009
A colon is a mark consisting of two points arranged vertically (:). As a punctuation mark it is used in many languages. It is also used in mathematics to show ratios: a ratio of five to four can be written 5:4.
Punctuation mark
Like a full-stop (BrE, known as a period in AmE), a colon can follow a grammatically complete utterance. The same is true of the semi-colon. (In the case of the full stop/period the complete phrase is called a sentence.)
Unlike the full-stop and semi-colon, which merely mark an ending, a colon points forward, 'delivering' what is promised before it:
- I have something to tell you: you were right after all.
Colons are usually taught to children as introducing lists, and this is a typical function:
- Don't forget:
Spacing
As a punctuation mark, one increasingly sees the colon used with a space on either side, as there exist options for this to occur automatically on some processors (and it is a habit in texting). But, in English, although not in French, this is not considered correct, and the colon should be used without a space before, exactly like other punctuation marks, the informal use of a hyphen as a dash - like this - being the only exception.
The spacing option is intended to be used in such examples as:
- dollar : yen = 1 : 20