Colons:

After a salutation

Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter.

Examples-Dear Judge Parker:Dear Governor Whitman:

Between Numerals Indicating Time

Use a colon between the hours, minutes, and seconds of a number indicating time.

8:30 p.m.9:45 a.m10:25:55

For Emphasis

Use a colon to emphasize a word, a phrase, a clause or a sentence that explains or adds impact to the main clause.

His guest lecturers are local chefs who learn a lesson themselves: Homeless people are worth employing.

To Introduce a Quotation

Use a colon to formally introduce a quotation, a sentence, or a question.

Directly a voice in the corner rang out wild and clear: “I’ve got him! I’ve got him!”

To Introduce a List

Use a colon to introduce a list.I got all the proper equipment:

scissors, a bucket of water to keep things clean, some cotton for the stuffing, and needle and thread to sew it up.

A Closer Look – Do not use a colon between a verb and its object or complement, or between a preposition and its object.

INCORRECT: Max has: a snowmobile, an ATV, and a canoe.

CORRECT: Max has plenty of toys: a snowmobile, and ATV, and a canoe.

INCORRECT: Dad watches a TV show about: cooking wild game.

CORRECT: Dad watches a TV show about a new subject: cooking wild game.

Between Title and Subtitle

Use a colon to distinguish between a title and a subtitle, volume and page, and chapter and verse in literature.

Writers INC: A Student Handbook for Writing and Learning

Encyclopedia Americana IV:211Psalm 23:1-6