She believed that no good dessert recipe was complete without one thing : Nutella.He believed that no good dessert recipe was complete without one thing: peanut butter.

When using a colon this way, don’t capitalize the first word after it unless the word is a proper noun. As the colon example above shows, a colon can help call attention to the word or phrase that follows it. Let’s talk about another common use for colons: giving emphasis.

We learned a sad lesson that day : Cooking projects and artwork inspired by Pinterest never come out looking remotely like the posted photos.

In this case, AP style diverges from some style guides by requiring you to capitalize the first word after the colon. How to Use a Colon to Introduce Another SentenceĪ colon can also introduce a complete sentence that clarifies or expands on the original sentence.

They tried to convince themselves that this was a perfect way to get rid of clutter. They worked on keeping their house cleaner. The puppy’s owners had tried everything to address this troubling habit : They paid for professional training.When to Use a Colon Without Capitalization: However, if the list or series extends over multiple sentences, you should capitalize the first word after the colon in AP Style. The puppy left a trail of destroyed items in his wake : shredded papers, mangled stuffed animals and what looked like the remains of a shoe.In AP style, the word that begins the list or series should generally only be capitalized if it is a proper noun. One common question that is asked in regards to when to use colons in lists is “Is the first word after a colon capitalized?”. One of the most common uses for a colon is introducing a list or series of items at the end of a sentence. Today, we’ll look at another frequently misunderstood topic: when to use a colon in AP style. To make this popular style easier to understand and use, we’ve delved into tricky issues like AP style numbers in previous blogs. AP style is widely used in journalism and other professional writing, but it can still seem unfamiliar and confusing to uninitiated writers. I used to feel pretty confident in my grasp of grammar and style rules, until my first encounter with Associated Press style (AP style) and its distinct guidelines.

How to use a colon