Grades 5-6 - Colons

Grammar & Writing Activities »

Name: ________________________
Date: _________________
 
Colons in Lists
 
Below are sentences that require a list to be placed after the colon. Write an appropriate list to follow the colon.
 
1. Our class will visit the following places on our history trip around the world:
__________________________________________________________.
2. I have used the following forms of transportation during my life: ________
__________________________________________________________.
3. Many different kinds of trees and plants grow in my area: _____________
__________________________________________________________.
Below are lists that require an introductory sentence to place before the colon. Check that you did not place a verb before the colon.
 
4. __________________________________________________________:
hot dogs, tablecloth, napkins, paper plates, and plastic forks and spoons.
5. ___________________________________________________________:
scissors, glue, construction paper, glitter, and markers.
 
Colons have many uses in writing. In general, a colon prepares a reader to read information that is closely connected to the information just read. For example, a colon placed before a speaker’s line in a playindicates that the line is spoken by that character, as in, Randi: What time will you be here? A colon is also useful for indicating a list of items related to a subject. See the examples below.
 
A colon can be used to indicate information that will follow, including a list of information. Examples:
 
•The following components are on the test: grammar, vocabulary, literature, and spelling.
•Our school has four students in the competition: Ami, Kendra, Raoul, and Dennis.
 
A colon does not generally follow a verb. 
 
INCORRECT: The book includes: a table of contents, chapters, and an index.
CORRECT: The book includes a table of contents, chapters, and an index.