1. Use a colon to introduce a series of items.
2. Use a colon to introduce long quotations or descriptions.
3. Use a colon after such words as "the following" or "as
follows."

4. DO NOT use colons unnecessarily.

5. Use a colon to introduce a series of items.
- Members of the committee are all faculty members: Will Smith,
Janet Hoffman, and Robert Matten.
- We carry four brands of personal computers: IBM, Compaq, AT&T, and Apple.
- Several indexes are helpful in finding business topics for research papers: READERS' GUIDE, BUSINESS PERIODICALS INDEX, and BUSINESS EDUCATION INDEX.

6. Use a colon to introduce long quotations or descriptions.
- A large organization may be faced with two separate information
problems: it must maintain an effective internal communication
system, and it must maintain an effective overall communication
system.
- Concerning whether a complete sentence following a colon should begin with a capital letter, Copperud gives a definite answer:

"Two critics say no, one says yes, and a third says the writer may decide. This, then, is one of those points on which an arbitrary decision may best be made in a publication's stylebook,
or by the writer." (Roy H. Copperud, AMERICAN USAGE AND STYLE)

7. Use a colon after such words as "the following" or "as follows."
- A computer includes the following key parts: input, processing,
and output.
- Output from a computer is as follows: hard-copy printouts, data
storage, video display, data transmission to other computers.
8. DO NOT use colons unnecessarily. NO colon should be used in following sentences:
- Members present were Johnson, Jones, and Hardy.

- The itinerary includes Spain, Italy, and France.