A colon is used when something is to be specified: a result, quotation, a list, contrast. A semicolon is like a partition, whereas a colon draws attention to what comes next. Another way to imagine the difference is to think of passing from one room into another: when we encounter a semicolon it is as if the door between the two rooms has been left half-open and we need to open it further to continue on our way, whereas a colon is akin to a door open wide, which invites us in but at the same time makes us briefly pause to see what lies ahead.
Henry Hitchings (1974- ). The Language Wars
(For Megan)
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These are things that make me smile, or laugh, or think. 