The most common punctuation mark writers use to introduce quotations is the comma.  By using the colon as a stylistic tool, however, writers can break out of that all-too-familiar pattern. 

The first thing a writer should know about the colon is that only a complete sentence can precede the colon.

Ex: My mother ruined my day with her condemning words: “You are not allowed to play outside until you’ve finished your homework.”

Notice how the sentence leading up to the colon is complete—it can stand on its own and still make grammatical sense.  Therefore, the following use of the colon would be inappropriate:

My mother said: “You are not allowed to play outside until you’ve finished your homework.”

The second thing a writer should know about the colon is that the first word of a quotation that follows the colon should begin with a capital letter (if the quotation is a complete sentence).

Ex: Jason explained his interest in photography: “Photos are pieces of frozen time—they allow a split second to last an eternity.”

Explanations adapted from the Harbrace College Handbook, 12^th Edition.

Along with our website, we recommend the following site:  William J. Strunk Jr.’s The Elements of Style.  This online version of the 1918 book, provided by Bartleby.com, offers instruction regarding punctuation, style and usage.  It addresses the most common errors found in writing.

Test your understanding by choosing the correct punctuation in each of the following sentences.

1. Marvin told me exactly what he thought about my outfit ( :  or , ) “You look like you just stepped out of the 1960’s.”

2.  My journalism instructor said ( : or , ) “I don’t prefer for my students to use anonymous sources.”

3. The doctor admonished Sherry by stating ( : or , ) “I understand that you’re young and healthy, but it’s never too early to start thinking about osteoporosis prevention.”

4. The critic stopped short of giving the album a perfect review ( : or , ) “Although the recording flows effortlessly from start to finish, some of the tracks sound as if they were overproduced.”

Answers

1. Marvin told me exactly what he thought about my outfit: “You look like you just stepped out of the 1960’s.”

2. My journalism instructor said, “I don’t prefer for my students to use anonymous sources.”

3. The doctor admonished Sherry by stating, “I understand that you’re young and healthy, but it’s never too early to start thinking about osteoporosis prevention.”

4. The critic stopped short of giving the album a perfect review: “Although the recording flows effortlessly from start to finish, some of the tracks sound as if they were overproduced.”

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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