Colons

The main use of colons is to introduce lists, series, examples, and explanations.

• Place semicolons and colons outside quotation marks and parentheses
• Introduce a displayed list with the beginning of a sentence followed by a colon. If the introduction is a complete sentence, end it with a period, of course.

  Correct

  The available objects are:

  • Accounts
  • Opportunities
  • Quotes

  If errors are preventing you from adding one or more Data.com records to Salesforce, we’ll provide a .csv error log file. How we provide the error log depends on what you were trying to do.

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• Within a single sentence, use a colon to introduce a series only when the introduction is a complete sentence. Don't capitalize the word following a colon within a sentence unless it's a proper noun or the text following the colon is a complete sentence.

  • The report included the most critical areas: budget, staffing, and workload.
  • The report covered budget, staffing, and workload.
• Use a colon to separate two clauses when the second explains the first. Capitalize the word following the colon only when it's a complete sentence or formal quotation. For example: Don't forget this point: The report is due by 9:00.
• In titles, use a colon to separate a title from a subtitle. Capitalize the first word of the subtitle.