THE COLON.
Rule I. Long Sentences.—When the smaller divisions of sentences are separated by semicolons, the main divisions should be separated by a colon.
EXAMPLES.
“Emulation is a dangerous passion to encourage, in some points, in young men; it is so linked with envy: if you reproach your son for not surpassing his school-fellows, he will hate those who are before him.”—Sheridan.
“A man over ninety is a great comfort to all his elderly neighbors: he is a picket-guard at the extreme outpost; and the young folks of sixty and seventy feel that the enemy must get by him before he can come near the camp.”—O. W. Holmes.
Rule II. A Quotation.—A colon should precede a long quotation. If, however, the quotation is short, it is better to use a comma.
EXAMPLES.
Socrates recommended to one of his disciples the following prayer: “O Jupiter, give us those things which are good for us, whether they are such things as we pray for, or such things as we do not pray for; and remove from us those things which are hurtful, though they are such things as we pray for.”
When the Earl of Dudley took leave of Sydney Smith, on going from London to Yorkshire, he said: “You have been laughing at me constantly, Sydney, for the last seven years, and yet, in all that time, you never said a single thing to me that I wished unsaid.”
REMARK.
1. When the quotation is long, or it begins a new paragraph, a dash is frequently placed after the colon.
2. When a direct quotation is introduced into the middle of a sentence, a comma should be used; as, “He was surprised, but replied, ‘I am not the king, he is there,’ pointing at the same time to a different part of the hall.”—Lingard.
Rule III. Enumeration of Particulars.—A colon should precede an enumeration of particulars, when they are formally introduced by thus, following, as follows, this, these, &c.
EXAMPLES.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inalienable rights: that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”—Jefferson.
“The penalty is graduated thus: the mildest, confiscation; the moderate, closing the shop; the severest, exposure.”—Lippincott’s Magazine.
REMARKS.
1. When the particulars are preceded by a colon, they are usually separated from each other by semicolons, as in the examples given above.
2. If the particulars are not introduced by thus, following, &c., they should be preceded by a semicolon; as, “Grammar is divided into four parts; Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody.”
3. When the particulars are preceded by a semicolon, they are usually separated from each other by commas.
4. Sometimes a comma and dash are used instead of a semicolon; as, “Grammar is divided into four parts,—Orthography, Etymology, Syntax, and Prosody.”
GENERAL REMARK.
The colon is used by some writers to separate short expressions that are complete in themselves, but slightly connected in meaning.
EXAMPLES.
“But men are men: the best sometimes forget.”—Shakespeare.
“It [the Seine] is the wash-tub and summer bath-tub of its citizens; it was the birthplace of Paris, and it is too often the grave of her children.”—Lippincott’s Magazine.
If a conjunction is used, it is better to use a semicolon; as,—
“She cannot separate her name from his without lessening it; for it is equally incrusted with his greatness as with his faults.”—Lamartine.
She cannot separate her name from his without lessening it: it is equally incrusted with his greatness as with his faults.
The colon is not as commonly used as formerly. A semicolon would be preferred by very many writers in all sentences similar to the examples given above. See Rule II. p. [23].