Get in the Swing!

This workout focuses on paragraphs 6.65–71 in CMOS 18. Advanced editors might tackle the questions cold; learners can study that section of the Manual before answering the questions.

Subscribers to The Chicago Manual of Style Online may click through to the linked sections of the Manual. (We also offer a 30-day free trial of CMOS Online.)

Note: Dictionaries and style guides sometimes disagree. These questions are designed to test your knowledge of The Chicago Manual of Style, which prefers the dictionary at Merriam-Webster.com. Other style guides may follow a different dictionary.

Now updated to refer and link to the 18th edition.

Chicago Style Workout 26: Colons

1. A colon introduces an element or a series of elements illustrating or amplifying what has preceded the colon.

True

False

2. Between independent clauses, a colon functions much like a semicolon; a colon, however, puts the emphasis on the clause that follows it.

True

False

3. In typeset matter a colon may be followed by no space, one space, or two spaces, depending on its function.

True

False

4. When a colon introduces a complete sentence, the first word that follows the colon is capitalized.

True

False

5. When what follows the colon is not a complete sentence, the first word following the colon is lowercased (unless it is a proper noun or other term that would normally be capitalized).

True

False

6. A colon is normally used after as follows, the following, and similar expressions.

True

False

7. A colon, never a comma, should be used after namely, for example, and similar expressions.

True

False

8. A colon may be used to introduce a quotation or a direct but unquoted question, especially where the introduction constitutes a grammatically complete sentence.

True

False

9. A colon is required before a series or a list introduced by the verb includes or included: “The menagerie included: cats, pigeons, newts, and deer ticks.”

True

False

10. When a word or phrase introduces a series or list and the verb is elided or otherwise understood, a colon is usually required (“Pros: accuracy and water resistance. Cons: cheap-looking exterior, . . .”).

True

False

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Photo: The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show on Earth, Strobridge Litho Co., 1900, Richard Dale McMullan Collection, Boston Public Library, Print Department.

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