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Colons and dashes

Author: Kathy Hanley

The Colon

The Colon is a punctuation mark that is used in very specific instances.  You should use a colon after an independent clause to indicate to the reader that a list, an apositive or a quotation will follow.  Colons are also used in the salutation of a formal letter, between hours and minutes when indicating time, to show proportions, between titles and subtitles, and between city and publisher in a bibliography.

Source: Kathleen Hanley

How to Use the Colon

Colon Exercises

The answers to the worksheet appear in the second PDF.

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Colon Exercises' Answers

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The Dash

The dash is a punctuation mark used in specific instances.  The dash may be used to indicate information that need special attention.  A dash may also introduce a list, a restatement, further explanation, or a startling change in tone.  A dash can also be used to set off a change in topic in the midst of a sentence.

Source: Kathleen Hanley

The Dash

Source: Kathleen Hanley