Remember, the colon has three main uses:

•  to separate a sentence from a list of examples
•  to separate the hour from the minutes in an expression of time
•  after the greeting in a business letter

Let's practice using colons!

Read each sentence below and decide where a colon is needed. Check your answer by clicking on the box below.

1. My plane leaves at 1 45 pm on Thursday.                                                    
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon to 1:45

2.  A banana split requires the following ingredients ice cream, whipped cream,   
   nuts, chocolate syrup, strawberry topping, bananas, and cherries for the top.           
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after ingredients:

3.  Dear Sir                                                                                                       
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after Dear Sir:

4. I would like to get these three things for my birthday a bike, a lacrosse stick,
   and a puppy.
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after birthday:

5. During Easter break my family took a Caribbean cruise and visited several
   islands St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix.
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after islands:

6. The movie we want to see starts at 8 00  pm.                                              
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon to 8:00

7. Dear Mr. Roberts                                                                                          
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after Mr. Roberts:

8. My mother gave me a list of items to pack in my suitcase for our camping trip
    a flashlight, a sleeping bag, my pup tent, and mosquito repellant.
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! Add a colon after trip:

How did you do? 

Are you ready to try some trickier sentences?  These sentences ask you to use three punctuation marks:  The colon, the semi-colon, and the comma.

1. The drama club has set its meeting dates for the winter season December 11 2003 January 15 2004 and February 12 2004.
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! season: December 11, 2003; January 15, 2004; February 12,

2. My family owns three dogs Rusty a German shepard Max a border collie and Grady a Labrador retriever.
   [FrontPage Save Results Component]

   Click here to check your answer! dogs: Rusty, German shepard; Max, a border collie; Grady, a Labrador retirever

How did you do on these? 

If these two sentences caused you trouble, go back to the lesson on colons and review that section.  You might also want to try the lessons and practices on semi-colons, and commas in a series.  These can be reached by clicking on the Punctuation button at the bottom of the page.

Remember that colons have three very specific uses:

    1. to separate a complete sentence from a list of examples
    2. to separate the hour from the minutes in an expression of time
    3. after the greeting of a business letter

Click on the Chalk board to return to
the lesson on colons!

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