More about Emphasis

And there’s a bonus today: You’ll learn a cool way to use a colon.

Yesterday I noted that you can emphasize a fact or idea by putting it at the beginning of a sentence.

Today we’re going to look at another emphasis strategy: Put your fact or idea at the end of the sentence.

I just did it. In fact I’ve done it twice already (see also the first sentence).

This is a twofer because you’re also learning an easy to use a colon.

Here’s how to do it: Write a dramatic sentence. At the end, use a colon instead of a period. Finish with your dramatic ending.

The final gift stunned me: Two plane tickets to New York.

The vet had great news for us: Buffy’s tumor was benign.

Mr. Walker asked me if the report was finished: Oops.

You’ll notice that I use a capital letter after a colon. This one is a judgment call. Some authorities prefer a capital letter, while others like lower case.

Have fun with colons!

Today’s Quiz  ANSWER

The sentence is incorrect. This is a Comma Rule 3 sentence, and it needs two commas, not one.

Here’s the correct sentence:

I asked Jimmy, who had just returned from Afghanistan, to tell us about conditions there. CORRECT

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