“So the particular strengths of the colon are beginning to become clear. A colon is nearly always preceded by a complete sentence, and in its simplest usage it rather theatrically announces what is to come. Like a well-trained magician's assistant, it pauses slightly to give you time to get a bit worried, and then efficiently whisks away the cloth and reveals the trick complete.” SentencesPunctuationMagic TricksSentenceColonMagic TrickColon UsageColon UseColonsPunctuation Metaphor Book:Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Source: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
“A magician creates magic and mesmerizes the audience. But it is a pantomime, and the audience knows that it’s a ruse. It’s in the name: a “magic trick”. They play along when the magician tugs his sleeves to show there is nothing hidden within them, or that the top hat is empty of a rabbit, or eggs, or flowers. Beneath the façade there is only sleight of hand, wires and contraptions, misdirection at a key moment. “But what the audience does not realize is that it’s not always trickery. Or at least, not quite.” PantomimeMagiciansMagic Trick Book:Shadowplay Source: Shadowplay