Should an independent clause follow a colon (if it’s not a list)?
The unregulated internet we
are accustomed to won out over another vision. The world wide web: A tightly controlled, “government-sponsored broadband network that would have delivered video from TV stations and other approved content”—another FCC regulated medium like radio or television.
A TA subtracted a point, explaining:
Unless you are listing two or more items, independent Clause should follow a colon.
I know an independent clause does not follow the colon, but I can’t find any evidence to back up the TA’s explanation. Is “namely” the word I meant by for a colon in my sentence?
How grammatically correct is a sentence?
What are the best ways of overcoming poverty?
Point your TA to the University of Sussex, which publishes a Guide to Punctuation by its late Professor of Linguistics R L Trask. Of the colon, he wrote:
The colon is used to indicate that what follows is an explanation or elaboration of what precedes it. Is it true that having introduced some topic in more general terms, you can use a colon and go on to explain that same topic in more specific terms?
What is the need for an independent clause to follow a colon?
