0
Nerdikarp Posted 15 years ago
Grammar
Colon question
Sometimes, I see people use colons like this:
Annie has:
-A umbrella
-A dog
-A cat
-A jacket
Is that right?
Annie has:
-A umbrella
-A dog
-A cat
-A jacket
Is that right?
Top answer
The format you used is typicle in business brochures or Web sites, where white space is important and long lines of text are undesirable. It's an odd way to describe someone's possessions (setting aside the idea that a cat would ever consider itself someone's possession) on such a personal level, and it's clearly not a comprehensive list. Can that be correct?
- The format you used is typicle in business brochures or Web sites, where white space is important and long lines of text are undesirable.
- It's an odd way to describe someone's possessions (setting aside the idea that a cat would ever consider itself someone's possession) on such a personal level, and it's clearly not a comprehensive list.
- Can that be correct?
- Yes it can.
- Is this a natural way to use a colon and a bulleted list?
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
The format you used is typicle in business brochures or Web sites, where white space is important and long lines of text are undesirable.
It's an odd way to describe someone's possessions (setting aside the idea that a cat would ever consider itself someone's possession) on such a personal level, and it's clearly not a comprehensive list.
Can that be correct? Yes it can.
It's an odd way to describe someone's possessions (setting aside the idea that a cat would ever consider itself someone's possession) on such a personal level, and it's clearly not a comprehensive list.
Can that be correct? Yes it can.
00
I like to think of a colon (in one way) as an equals mark (=), meaning that what immediately follows equals what immediately precedes. In this case [Annie has several pets: a dog, a cat, a parakeet and three gerbils.]
There are several things I want to do when I retire: travel, do volunteer work, exercise more, lose weght.
There are several things I want to do when I retire: travel, do volunteer work, exercise more, lose weght.
00
0
Yes, it is correct. As a matter of fact, colon (:) is most often used to formally or emphatically introduce series, lists, appositives, and quotations.
0
Related Questions