Intrusive Misuse of Colons

Intrusive Misuse of Colons Intrusive Misuse of Colons Intrusive Misuse of Colons By Mark Nichol Writers often mistakenly introduce intrusive â€Å"colonization† where it is not necessarily. In each of the following examples, as explained in the discussion, the colon is superfluous. 1. Smith was invited to give the presentation: â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices.† â€Å"The presentation† and the title of the presentation are appositive- one is equivalent to the other, just as in â€Å"global-development expert John Smith,† the person’s description and his name are appositive- and no intervening punctuation is necessary: â€Å"Smith was invited to give the presentation â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices.† (If the presentation previously was alluded to and is now being specified, set the title off from the first part of the sentence with a comma: â€Å"Smith was invited to give the presentation, â€Å"Global Development and Global Practices,† but otherwise do not replace the colon with a comma. Also, if the wording is â€Å"Smith was invited to give a presentation on the topic of . . .,† the description of the topic is just that- a description- and should be lowercase and not enclosed in quotation marks. 2. An effective compliance program will include: governance and management oversight, policies and procedures, training, monitoring, quality control, and independent audit. When include or includes (or â€Å"consist/consists of† or a similar word) precedes a list, a colon is superfluous, just as it would be between any verb and any single noun or noun phrase associated with the verb. This is true whether the information is presented as an in-line list (meaning that it is integrated into the sentence, as here) or it is formatted vertically, one item on a line, whether as is or set off with bullets or numbers: â€Å"An effective compliance program will include governance and management oversight, policies and procedures, training, monitoring, quality control, and independent audit.† (An exception is if what precedes the list is an independent clause, such as â€Å"An effective compliance program will include the following.†) 3. Management is secure in the knowledge that it: has considered all plausible scenarios, understands the organization’s breakpoint in the event of extreme scenarios, and has effective contingency-response plans in place. The point of the previous example is true regardless of whether a verb precedes the colon or, because each item in the in-line or vertical list begins with a verb, the colon follows a word representing another part of speech; the fact that a sentence is more extensive and complex than if it had essentially a one-item list (for example, â€Å"Management is secure in the knowledge that it has considered all plausible scenarios†) is irrelevant: â€Å"Management is secure in the knowledge that it has considered all plausible scenarios, understands the organization’s breakpoint in the event of extreme scenarios, and has effective contingency-response plans in place.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What Does [sic] Mean?The Writing ProcessWriting a Thank You Note

7 Signs You Nailed Your Interview Even if It Doesnt Feel Like It

7 Signs You Nailed Your Interview Even if It Doesnt Feel Like It If you walk out of your interview and aren’t 100% sure you nailed it (or bombed it), you might spend the next few days stewing about how it went. But you don’t have to agonize in the dark. It is possible to tell more or less how you’ll fare- even between the extremes of horrible and perfectly. Here are some telltale signs that it went well- so well that you might even get the job! 1. Your interviewer  had a good time.You genuinely got the impression that your interviewer was having a good time during the conversation. You ran over your allotted time. And beyond that, their body language suggested as much, as well. They were smiling, nodding, leaning in, and making eye contact. And the smile was genuine- with engagement of the eyes and everything.2. You got a tour.Did your interviewer, after your conversation, show you around the office before showing you out? This is a good indicator that they’re seriously considering you. Bonus points if they introduced you to any members of your would-be team.3. You felt like they were selling you.Your interviewer made a point of trying to sell you on the company- they didn’t just watch you do backflips to try  to prove your worth. For example,  if they spend a lot of time talking about company policies, benefits, and perks and pay, you’re probably golden.4. They asked for references.Typically, hiring managers don’t bother asking for references they aren’t going to bother calling. If you’re asked for yours, that’s a good sign and usually means they plan on contacting your recommenders. Bonus points if they also mention they’ll be running a background check; these are expensive and they don’t run them willy nilly.5. There was a lingering goodbye.Did it seem like your interviewer, when walking you out, didn’t quite want you to leave? Did she stick around loitering in the lobby with you making idle conversation? These are signs of ho w comfortable she feels with you- as if you’re already a colleague, not a candidate.6. Follow-up is made explicit.Instead of a vague not to â€Å"being in touch,† the follow-up process is discussed with particulars. They ask about your timeline and interview status. They make references to the next steps, and not just in a generic way. Maybe they let you know exactly when to expect to hear from them†¦ and ask how best you can be reached.7. You get called back in for another round.Only finalists make the second round of interviews. Congrats, you’re on your way! Now you just have to do the whole thing over again. Show up, dress nicely, sparkle, and be engaging and confident without being arrogant or smug. Remember to send a handwritten thank you note for that interview, as well. Repeat all the good things you did for round one, and hopefully you’ll have that same good gut feeling after. That’s usually another good sign that you just might land t he job.