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COLON
COLON. The PUNCTUATION mark (:). It has an anticipatory effect, leading from what precedes to what follows. The following are the main uses: (1) To introduce a list of items: You will need the following: a pen, pencil, rubber, piece of paper, and ruler. (2) To introduce speech or quoted material, as a stronger alternative to the comma: I told them last week: ‘Do not in any circumstances open this door.’ (3) To lead or ‘point’ from one CLAUSE to another: from introduction to theme (I want to say this: we are deeply grateful to all of you); from statement to example (It was not easy: to begin with, I had to find the right house); from cause to effect (The weather was bad: so we stayed at home); from premiss to conclusion (There are hundreds of wasps in the garden: there must be a nest there); from statement to explanation (I gave up: I had tried everything without success). (4) To introduce an antithesis or highlight a contrast: He died young: but he died rich; They spoke bitterly: and yet they were forgiving. (5) To produce a staccato or paratactic effect, either by replacing a conjunction such as but (I called: you did not answer) or in a progression or sequence (He arrived: he knocked at the door: we waited: he went away). See SEMICOLON.
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Cite this article
TOM McARTHUR. "COLON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. TOM McARTHUR. "COLON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-COLON.html TOM McARTHUR. "COLON." Concise Oxford Companion to the English Language. 1998. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-COLON.html |
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colon
co·lon1 / ˈkōlən/ • n. a punctuation mark (:) indicating: ∎ that a writer is introducing a quotation or a list of items. ∎ that a writer is separating two clauses of which the second expands or illustrates the first. ∎ a statement of proportion between two numbers: a ratio of 10:1. ∎ the separation of hours from minutes (and minutes from seconds) in a statement of time given in numbers: 4:30 p.m. ∎ the number of the chapter and verse respectively in biblical references: Exodus 3:2. co·lon2 • n. Anat. the main part of the large intestine, which passes from the cecum to the rectum and absorbs water and electrolytes from food that has remained undigested. |
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Cite this article
"colon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "colon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-colon005.html "colon." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-colon005.html |
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colon
colon 2 member of a sentence; the punctuation mark (:). XVI. — L. cōlon — Gr. kôlon limb, clause.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "colon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "colon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-colon1.html T. F. HOAD. "colon." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-colon1.html |
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colon
colon in writing: see punctuation . |
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Cite this article
"colon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "colon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-colon-wri.html "colon." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-colon-wri.html |
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