English Grammar Demystified - A Self Teaching Guide

116 English Grammar Demystifi ed

Incorrect: I ordered: potatoes, sugar, fl our, eggs, and coffee.

Also, if the information that comes after the colon is a complete sentence (as in
the fi rst example for Rule 2), use a capital letter, as you would normally do in the
beginning of a sentence.
Look at another example:

Children will take up activities if you supply some good ideas for play: Color

and paint in an art center that you create, cut up used holiday cards and paste

them as stickers, choose a costume from a costume box and create a play or

dance routine.

NOTE: In the preceding sentence, the words before the colon could stand alone as
a sentence. What would happen if you added the words which are after good ideas
for play?

Children will take up activities if you supply some good ideas for play which

are: color and paint in an art center that you create, cut up used holiday cards

to paste as stickers, choose a costume from a costume box and create a play

or dance routine.

You now see a common colon error. To avoid it, do not use a verb before the
colon—in this case the verb is the word are.

Written Practice 5-8

Correct the colon errors in the following sentences.

1. Expect to do the following as a part of your job open the offi ce at 8:30 A.M.,
   take messages from the answering machine, and distribute the mail.


2. Find these fi les before you leave Premium Plumbers, Apex Offi ce Furniture,
   and ABC Business Management.


3. The board members’ places at the table were covered with these pages of
   information, an agenda for the meeting, a schedule of meetings for the year,
   and the bylaws.