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3. Colons
A colon may be used to introduce or to call attention to elaboration or explanation.
EXAMPLES:
The teacher announced that the course would require three papers: one on Shakespeare, one on
Dickens, and one on a contemporary writer.
Will’s suggestion was truly democratic: let everyone serve as chair for one meeting.
Be careful not to use a colon to introduce or call attention to material that is already signaled by
some other element of the sentence.
EXAMPLES:
The seemingly tranquil lane has been the scene of many crimes including: two assaults, three
robberies, and one murder.

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Lesson 2
20
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ARCO
■ SAT II Subject Tests
In addition to test scores, college admissions officers take into consideration many other
factors such as: grades, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.
In each example, the colon is used incorrectly because the special material is already signaled by
some other element in the sentence. These sentences are correctly written as follows:
The seemingly tranquil lane has been the scene of many crimes, including two assaults, three
robberies, and one murder.
In addition to test scores, college admissions officers take into consideration many other factors
such as grades, extracurricular activities, and letters of recommendation.
4. Periods
The only use you should have for a period on the test is to mark the end of a sentence. Make sure,
however, that any underlined material that includes a period does not create a sentence fragment.
EXAMPLE:
Peter notified Elaine. The guidance counselor, that he had been accepted.
The first period creates a sentence fragment out of what follows. The sentence can be cor-
rected as follows:
Peter notified Elaine, the guidance counselor, that he had been accepted.