Hi everyone! Since I had a problem using colons with lists in my essay, Blas asked me to include an explanation and to publish it on the blog. So here it is:
- We use colons in a list when the list is preceded by a complete independent clause. We should never use a colon to separate a preposition from its object or a verb from its complements.
In I Kiss a Door we will find such topics as: sexuality, insecurity, etc.
(Notice that the sentence that precedes the colons is not grammatically complete.)
This is the corrected sentence:
In I Kiss a Door we will find such topics as sexuality, insecurity, etc.
If I would have decided to leave the colons, the sentence should have been like this:
In I Kiss a Door we will find several controversial topics: sexuality...
(Notice that now the sentence that precedes the colons IS grammatically complete.)
Hi Amil! Can you include an example? I think it may be useful as well. If you want, you can include your own sentences for us to notice the difference. (Or just the correct one!) Sometimes we write such intricate sentences that it´s really difficult to notice our mistakes. But of course, it´s up to you.
ReplyDeleteHi Cami! Thanks for the advice. Examples are always good and help us to understand the idea. I have already modified the thread so you can have the examples.
ReplyDeleteThank youuuu! Now, it´s clearer for me! What is more... I don´t think I was totally aware of this. I believe that I had a similar mistake in my essay (I will realize about that when I receive the last feedback). So, it´s great to know it now!
DeleteAfter your explanation and the discussion on Saturday, I understand something about a sentence in my essay. Blas highlihted the comma in the following sentence, "Her struggle is clear in the following extract, “This person realizes that staying home means blowing off everyone this person has ever known. But the desire to stay in is very strong.” Now I know that I can use colons intead of a comma, since the preceding sentence is grammatically complete and "equal" to the next.
ReplyDeleteWell, here is my problematic sentence: "Indeed, this story focuses not only on the typical zombie archetype but also on topics rarely related to them; such as, love, sex, pregnancy and the beginning of a new life." The problem here is the punctuation mark I choose to connect "topics rarely related to them" and "such as, love, sex (...)" In my first draft I´ve put a comma between them while in the second one I´ve put a semicolon; the two options I´ve chosen were incorrect. However, I did think about inserting colons there... but I was doubtful about that. Would the colons "equate" the whole sentence from " this story focuses (...)" and the list of topics? Or would it simply "equate" the clause about the topics and the list of them? That´s my problem.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if I simplify the sentence and say "this story focuses on topics rarely related to zombies: such as love, sex, pregnancy (...)" it can become clearer the connection and besides the first clause is an independent one. So... I think that I should have inserted colons there. What do you think?
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