Colons
You can make it through most of your life without using a colon. However, it is fairly useful and can be a strong way to clarify a sentence, especially a sentence with a long list involved.
Despite its rarity, let’s be clear! You WILL encounter the colon on every ACT English test.
Lucky for you, using the colon is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is remember these rules.
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There must be an independent clause on the left side of a colon.
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The independent clause must be a statement (not a question).
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The words on the right side of the colon must specify the independent clause on the left.
That’s it.
If you memorize those rules, you’re going to answer the colon questions correctly.
Colon checklist
Here’s an example of how to use a colon correctly. Ask yourself the three colon questions:
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Is there an independent clause on the left side of the colon?
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If so, is that independent clause a statement (not a question)?
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Do the words on the right side of the colon specify the words on the left side?
If the answer to just one of these questions is no, you should not use a colon.
If the answer is yes to all of these questions, you should use the colon.
Example
Let’s try using those same questions to see if we should use a colon in the sentence below.
I bought three things at the store: bananas, apples, and Worcestershire sauce.
Checklist step #1: Is there an independent clause on the left side of the colon?
I bought three things at the store: bananas, apples, and Worcestershire sauce.
Answer: Yes! “I bought three things at the store.” is definitely an independent clause because it can stand alone in a sentence.
Checklist step #2: Is that independent clause a statement?
I bought three things at the store:
Answer: Yes! “I bought three things at the store.” is a statement because it’s telling us something, not asking us.
Checklist step #3: Do the words on the right side of the colon specify the words on the left side?
I bought three things at the store: bananas, apples, and Worcestershire sauce.
Answer: Yes! “Bananas, apples, and Worcestershire sauce” definitely specify the independent clause on the left side of the colon (what was bought at the store).
How not to use a colon
Here’s the way the ACT English test will trick you when it comes to the colon.
When the ACT tries to trick you, it will happen on the left side of the colon. The ACT will make the clause on the left side of the colon a dependent clause, not an independent clause.
Example
Let’s look at an example.
At the store, I bought: bananas, apples and Worcestershire sauce.
We’re going to start this just like we started the last one: by asking the first question.
- Is there an independent clause on the left side of the colon?
At the store, I bought: bananas, apples and Worcestershire sauce.
Answer: No. “At the store, I bought” is not an independent clause because it can’t stand alone as a sentence.
What about the next two questions?
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Is that independent clause a statement (not a question)?
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Do the words on the right side of the colon specify the words on the left side?
We don’t even have to ask the next two questions. If the answer to any of these three questions is no, we can be confident we SHOULD NOT USE a colon.
The colon isn’t just for lists
When you see the colon on an ACT, there will often be a list to the right of it (see example below).
I have three favorite colors: blue, red, and green.
However, you can put more than just lists to the right of a colon. Remember, you just need to follow the three rules we’ve already listed to use a colon correctly (but because we like you, we put them below for your convenience).
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There must be an independent clause on the left side of a colon.
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The independent clause must be a statement (not a question).
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The right side of the colon must specify the independent clause.
There’s nothing in those three rules that states colons are only used for lists. And when you take the ACT, the test sometimes throws in these tougher colon questions to trick you.
Example
Let’s look at a non-list example of using a colon:
I have a favorite color: blue.
Looks pretty weird, right? However, just because something doesn’t sound “right” doesn’t mean it isn’t correct. In order to know if we’re using the colon correctly, we need to ask the three questions we used earlier in this chapter.
See if you can answer all these questions.
1. Is there an independent clause on the left side of the colon?
I have a favorite color: blue.
Answer: Yes! “I have a favorite color” is totally an independent clause because it can stand by itself to form a complete sentence.
2. Is that independent clause a statement (not a question)?
I have a favorite color
Answer: Yes! “I have a favorite color” is a statement or a claim, not a question, because it isn’t asking anything.
3. Do the words on the right side of the colon specify the words on the left side?
I have a favorite color: blue.
Answer: Yes! “Blue” specifies what the left side of the colon states (in this case, what the favorite color is).
Here’s another weird thing you can technically do with the colon (that we’ve seen on the ACT before).
I have a favorite color: it is blue.
In this sentence, we have an independent clause coming after the colon (“it is blue”). This is technically legal because it does specify what’s on the left of the colon.
As long as you can answer “yes” on all three colon questions, you can be confident you’re using the colon correctly.
ACT Examples
Here’s the way you’re most likely to see the colon on the ACT. Just for fun (and practice), see if you can answer the question correctly. Here’s a hint though. Try to eliminate the colon options first (you’ll see what we mean).
Example 1
While Batman is Michael Keaton’s most popular movie: my favorite Micheal Keaton movie is Beetlejuice.
A. NO CHANGE
B. movie my
C. movie; my
D. movie, my
Start with the colon option first (choice A. NO CHANGE). Now, use the three colon questions to see if choice A is using the colon correctly. What do you think? Is choice A the answer?
Answer: No. Is there an independent clause on the left side of the colon?
Nope. “While Batman is Michael Keaton’s most popular movie” is not an independent clause. So, we know the colon isn’t being used correctly. So we can mark out choice A.
Right now, we’re not going to worry about figuring out the correct answer to this question. To answer this question correctly, we have to combine all the punctuation rules you’ve learned thus far, which we’ll do in a subsequent chapter.
However, if you really feel like testing yourself, go ahead and give it a try. Otherwise, you can skip down to the next colon exercise.
While Batman is Michael Keaton’s most popular movie: my favorite Micheal Keaton movie is Beetlejuice.
A. NO CHANGE
B. movie my
C. movie; my
D. movie, my
Answer: D is the correct answer. There’s no independent clause on the left side of the punctuation, so that removes options A and C. Since the first clause of the sentence is a dependent clause, we need a comma, so that removes option B. (again, we’ll go over how to use all these rules together in a subsequent chapter).
Example 2
Let’s do one more.
See if you can figure out if we should or should not use a colon in this question. Again, focus on eliminating the answer option with a colon first.
And make sure you use the three colon questions…
While I enjoy reading, there are other things I’d rather be doing, hiking trails, going to the movies, or scrolling through TikTok.
A. NO CHANGE
B. doing; hiking
C. doing. Hiking
D. doing: hiking
Should we use a colon here?
Answer: Yes! If you used the three colon questions, you should have seen that we definitely need a colon here. This means that option D is the correct answer to this question.
Congratulations!
You now know how to answer the colon questions correctly on the ACT. Like the semicolon, learning the rules for the colon will benefit you outside of the test. Add the flair of the colon into your next text-heavy assignment!
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