[Forum] Section 6.53: Comma-and-colon combination

Section 6.53 says: If the greeting itself consists of a direct address, two marks of punctuation are needed (i.e., the comma in the direct address and the colon or comma following the greeting). (The first mark is often left out in casual correspondence.) •Greetings, Board Members: . . . •Hi

[Forum] Punctuation/colon with abbreviations PS and NB

I cannot seem to find any guidance in CMOS 17 as to what sort of puctuation should be used after Latin abbreviations such as “PS” and “NB”. Is a colon necessary for offsetting what comes after the abbreviation? Which of the following is correct? NB Please remember to turn off the lights. NB:

[Forum] RE: capitalizing after a colon

How is the last sentence standing alone? I see three sentences, each reflecting one of her choices. The fact that the third sentence begins with a conjunction does not change that. I suppose the author could have left it all one sentence (with the colon, and the individual independent clauses sepa

[Forum] RE: comma or colon before quote

I think [url=http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch13/psec016.html]13.16[/url] would call for a colon on this one: "When a quotation is introduced by an independent clause (i.e., a grammatically complete sentence), a colon should be used."

[Forum] RE: semi-colon usage

[quote='kbates2008' pid='606' dateline='1268163318'] My understanding is that a semi-colon can be used to separate independent clauses or as internal punctuation for a series....Is it okay to use a semi-colon in the following way, or would a comma or "and" be better? Example: The segment of

[Forum] RE: Colon Usage in CMOS

Hi Crosstees. Thanks for your response, and your examples are clear. My question actually is whether anyone can think of any situation when we can use a colon to join two parts of a sentence when the text that precedes the colon is not a grammatically complete thought. I cannot think of any exa

[Forum] RE: Punctuation/colon with abbreviations PS and NB

You're welcome!

[Forum] RE: En or em dash or hyphen? Colon?

I think it depends on the context. My first instinct (like Pixna's) is to use a colon. I've just checked my MW (both hard copy and online), and they use a colon. However, in certain informal usage, I might use a hyphen (with spaces before and after, as you have it in your question).

[Forum] RE: Colon

A good rule of thumb about whether a colon is appropriate is that the words before the colon should be able to stand alone as a complete sentence. [i]The chocolates in the box were delicious and varied: creams, nuts, and nougats.[/i] If they are not, a comma is more appropriate. See the follo

[Forum] RE: Grammar

It's just that a colon in a sentence should be preceded by an independent clause. And a parenthetical element can't directly follow the colon, because there isn't any way to indicate that it is parenthetical. (A colon at the start plus a dash or comma at the end doesn't work for this.) I might not