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Sailsofoblivion Posted 10 years ago
Grammar

Colon At The End Of A List

Hello,

I was just wondering, is it a good idea to have a comma between two items in a list followed by a colon if the colon only gives more information about the last item? i.e.

"I went for a bath, and then I put on a fancy outfit: a sparkly dress and high heels."

Or is it okay simply to say:

"I went for a bath and I put on a fancy outfit: a sparkly dress and high heels."

(Not a great sentence, just an example)
  

Top answer

sailsofoblivion is it a good idea to have a comma between two items in a list followed by a colon if the colon only gives more information about the last item? I think it's a good idea in that case, but I know of no rule about the extent of colon reference except that of common sense.

— Mister Micawber

  • sailsofoblivion is it a good idea to have a comma between two items in a list followed by a colon if the colon only gives more information about the last item?
  • I think it's a good idea in that case, but I know of no rule about the extent of colon reference except that of common sense.
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3 Answers
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sailsofoblivionis it a good idea to have a comma between two items in a list followed by a colon if the colon only gives more information about the last item?
I think it's a good idea in that case, but I know of no rule about the extent of colon reference except that of common sense.
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Do you think I'd be losing anything if I simply omitted the comma and the "then"? Or do they simply serve to make the obvious more obvious?
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sailsofoblivionDo you think I'd be losing anything if I simply omitted the comma and the "then"?
No.
sailsofoblivionOr do they simply serve to make the obvious more obvious?
Yes.
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