usage of the colon in a sentence.
1a. I just bought CDs by Regina Spektor, John Legend, and Prince.
1b. I just bought: CDs by Regina Spektoe, John Legend, and Prince.
I believe the second one is incorrect because the first one looks and sounds more correct. Am I right?
You're right, Dorothy. 1a. is correct.
usage of the comma.
1a. Bob enjoys playing football, and Jim enjoys playing hockey.
1b. Bob enjoys playing football and Jim enjoys playing hockey.
I think these are 2 independent sentences and can be separated by a comma. The and just joins them together, separated by the comma.
right?
Right! :-) You're doing great!
You are correct. The first sentence, "I just bought CDs by Regina Spektor, John Legend, and Prince," is grammatically correct, while the second sentence, "I just bought: CDs by Regina Spektor, John Legend, and Prince," is grammatically incorrect.
The colon (:) is typically used to introduce a list or an explanation in a sentence. However, it should not be used in this particular context, where you are simply listing the items you bought.
In sentence 1a, the colon is not necessary because you are directly listing the CDs you bought using commas. This is the correct and preferred way to present a simple list like this in a sentence.
In sentence 1b, the colon is incorrectly used after the verb "bought." The colon should only be used for introducing a list, not after a verb like "bought."
Therefore, your initial instinct is correct, and you should use sentence 1a without the colon as it is the grammatically correct and more natural-sounding option.