Question

Which one of the following sentences uses colons incorrectly​? A. Jarrod already knew what his answer would​ be: yes. B. The recipe called for a rare​ ingredient: truffles. C. I can think of something better to​ do, such​ as: taking a walk or reading a book. D. You should bring the following to the​ exam: two​ pencils, a​ bluebook, a​ calculator, and a dictionary.

Answer 1

You should bring the following to the​ exam: two​ pencils, a​ bluebook, a​ calculator, and a dictionary.

Answer 2

C. I can think of something better to​ do, such​ as: taking a walk or reading a book.

A colon does not belong after such as because it is a redundancy. Using the phrase such as is similar to using the phrase for example. They both indicate that a list is about to follow so the colon is not needed. Options A and B need a colon for the same reason. They both are used after a complete sentence and clarify the information in the sentence. Option D uses a colon correctly because it also comes after a complete sentence before the list of items that clarify what you should bring.