“Summer was on the way; Jem and I awaited it with impatience. Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill.” (Lee 38)

Question

Explain the function of the colon.

Answer 1

In this sentence, the colon is used to introduce a list of elements that represent what summer meant to the speaker and Jem. The colon signals to the reader that the list of items that follow will further explain or elaborate on the idea that summer was their favorite season. It helps to create a smooth transition from the initial statement about summer to the specific examples that illustrate the significance of summer to the speaker and Jem.