Question

Which sentence below uses a colon

correctly?
A. Gandhi, a well known social leader: - "Be the change
you wish to see in the world."
B. Gandhi was quoted as: "Be the change you wish to see in
the world."
C. Gandhi, a well known social leader, said this: "Be the
change you wish to see in the world."

Answer 1

C. Gandhi, a well known social leader, said this: "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

A colon is used to introduce a list, a quotation, an explanation, or a conclusion. It should be preceded by a complete sentence and followed by a lower case letter unless the next word is a proper noun or the start of a quotation.

In option A, the colon is used incorrectly after a noun phrase instead of a complete sentence.

In option B, the colon is used incorrectly after a verb instead of a complete sentence.

In option C, the colon is used correctly after a complete sentence to introduce a quotation.