Colon ( : )

This section of Exploring English describes use of the colon ( : ) punctuation mark.

Used to introduce a series, a list, or an example:

The teams in the play-offs were as follows: New York, Cleveland, New England, and Denver.

Used to separate hours from minutes when indicating time:

11:59 p.m.

Used to introduce a formal statement:

This is the final Truth: The crux of the biscuit is the apostrophe.
[Frank Zappa knew what that meant]

Used after a formal salutation:

Dear Madam President:

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Last Modified April 08, 2003