Updated August 25, 2026

SAT Punctuation Questions: Colons and Dashes Made Easy

Bonus Material: 15 Essential SAT Grammar Rules

Many students get tripped up by SAT colons and dashes questions, but everything you need to know to solve these types of questions can be summed up in 3 rules.

Once you know these, you’ll be ready to tackle any question on these punctuation types. 

In this post, we’ve outlined the three essential rules you need to know, plus concrete strategies and guided examples using real SAT questions.

First, grab a free copy of our reference guide to the essential grammar rules you’ll need to know for the SAT below. Then keep reading for everything you need to know about colons and dashes on the SAT!

Jump to section:
How many questions on colons and dashes will you see on the SAT?
Rule #1: Make sure a complete sentence comes before a colon or single dash
Guided example for Rule #1
Rule #2: Use a colon to introduce a list (if it’s after a complete sentence!)
Guided example for Rule #2
Rule #3: Use two dashes to set off extra information in a sentence
Guided example for Rule #3
Next steps

How many questions on colons and dashes will you see on the SAT?

First things first: how many questions on this topic can you expect to see?

According to the College Board, about 26% of questions, or 11-15 questions, on SAT Reading & Writing cover grammar and punctuation. That means you’re unlikely to see more than 3-4 questions on colons and dashes.

It’s still an important skill, though–and since there are only a few rules to learn, this topic is an easy place to pick up points.

And where will you see questions about grammar and punctuation on the SAT? Here’s what the College Board says in the SAT Specifications Overview.

Questions from all four domains appear in each Reading and Writing test module, beginning with Craft and Structure questions and then continuing through Information and Ideas, Standard English Conventions, and Expression of Ideas questions.

  • Standard English Conventions is the grammar and punctuation category. You’ll see it in the second half of each Reading & Writing module. 
  • Knowing this, you might choose to start with these questions if they’re easier for you, or you might save them for later if they’re harder.

Questions in the Standard English Conventions content domain are arranged from easiest to hardest regardless of which specific convention is being tested. 

  • These are grammar and punctuation questions. 
  • These questions go from easiest to hardest, but they are not grouped by specific skill. That means you won’t see all the colon or dash questions in a row, unlike some other skills on the SAT.

As well as grammar and punctuation skills, key test-taking strategies are essential to success on the SAT. We’ll focus on actual grammar rules here, but check out this post for 12 SAT strategies that will help you tackle any question.

Rule #1: Make sure a complete sentence comes before a colon or single dash

On the SAT, questions about using colons or single long dashes essentially boil down to knowing how to identify complete and incomplete sentences.

When you see a colon or a single long dash among the answer choices on the SAT, the first step is to ask yourself whether what comes before that punctuation mark is a complete sentence.

What’s a complete sentence? It’s a sentence with a subject, a verb, and a main idea. To check if you’re looking at a complete sentence, try putting a period after it and seeing if it can stand alone.

  • Take Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey, for instance: it’s a great example of satire of Gothic literature, but modern-day readers, unfamiliar with its literary context, might miss the parody.

In that sentence, the complete sentence that comes before the colon includes a final phrase, “for instance.” That’s okay, because the sentence could still stand alone:

  • Take Jane Austen’s novel Northanger Abbey, for instance.

Note that this rule does not apply to whatever comes after the colon. It could be a complete sentence, a phrase, or even a single word. The part you need to focus on is what comes before the colon.

What about long dashes? In this situation, you can use a single long dash in much the same way as a colon–after a complete sentence.

Because style is not tested on the SAT, you’ll never have to choose between a colon and a single long dash if both are grammatically correct. Knowing when to choose a colon and when to choose a long dash is a good skill to have in your own writing, but that level of subtlety isn’t necessary for the SAT.

Like a colon, a single long dash must be preceded by a complete sentence. In this example, you could use either a colon or a single long dash:

  • That’s just it – we don’t know all of the answers to the questions of the universe. 

Tip: To test for proper use of the single long dash, see if you can replace it with a colon. If you can (that is, if the sentence to the left of the punctuation is complete), then the single long dash is also an option. 

Guided Example for Rule #1

In a 2016 study, Eastern Washington University psychologist Amani El-Alayli found that, among the study participants who experienced frisson (a physiological response akin to goosebumps or getting the chills) while listening to music, there was one personality trait that they scored particularly ______ openness to experience.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. high. On
B. high on;
C. high on
D. high on:

Source: SAT Educator Question Bank

The answer choices here are a real grab-bag of very different options. Choice A draws the line between two sentences between the words “high” and “on” by putting a hard stop (a period) in between. Choices B and D put a hard stop after “on,” and choice C doesn’t include a hard stop at all. 

The first step is to figure out how many complete sentences we’re dealing with and where the line between them is. For that, it’s helpful to cut the clutter. Mentally or with the annotation tool, cross out the parts of the sentence that don’t affect the underlined portion.

In a 2016 study, Eastern Washington University psychologist Amani El-Alayli found that, among the study participants who experienced frisson (a physiological response akin to goosebumps or getting the chills) while listening to music, there was one personality trait that they scored particularly high on openness to experience. 

Before the underlined section, we have a complete sentence that can stand alone:

• Amani El-Alayli found that there was one personality trait that they scored particularly high on.

Putting a hard stop after “high” would result in an incomplete sentence:

• *Amani El-Alayli found that there was one personality trait that they scored particularly high.

That doesn’t make sense, so we can eliminate answer choice A.

After the underlined section, we have a phrase, not a complete sentence. We can tell because it lacks a subject, verb, and complete idea. (Need a refresher on this? Check out our post breaking it down.)

• openness to experience.

We know that we can’t use a semicolon between a complete sentence and a phrase, so we can eliminate answer choice B. We also know that we do need some form of punctuation between a complete sentence and a phrase, which allows us to eliminate answer choice C. 

That leaves answer choice D. Can we put a colon here? The sentence that precedes the colon is complete, so the answer is yes, and D is correct.

Rule #2: Use a colon to introduce a list (if it’s after a complete sentence!)

You may have heard that you need to use a colon to introduce a list. That’s the case in this sentence:

The paper would need to pass through many steps before publication: the addition of data visualizations, peer review, and stringent copy-editing. 

Be careful, though: in some cases, you cannot use a colon to introduce a list. 

That’s because a colon can only come after a complete sentence. That means that if the part that comes before the colon could stand alone as a sentence, you should use a colon to introduce the list. If removing the part after the colon would leave something that’s not a complete sentence, then you should not use a colon.

Compare these examples of sentences with lists:

  • The paper would need to pass through many steps before publication: the addition of data visualizations, peer review, and stringent copy-editing. 

Let’s test for a complete sentence before the colon:

  • The paper would need to pass through many steps before publication: the addition of data visualizations, peer review, and stringent copy-editing. 

This is a complete sentence, so it’s fine to follow it with a colon.

Now let’s try another example:

  • Medical students can choose between many different specialties, including: gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, hematology, and orthopedic surgery.

Is the colon preceded by a complete sentence here?

  • Medical students can choose between many different specialties, including.

This is not a complete sentence, so it should not have been followed with a colon.

  • Medical students can choose between many different specialties, including gastroenterology, obstetrics and gynecology, hematology, and orthopedic surgery.

This is the correct way to punctuate this sentence.

If you see an introductory word setting up a list, that should already tip you off that you will not need a colon. After all, a complete sentence can’t end on an introductory word like “including” or “such as,” because they both point ahead to examples that are about to be named. 

On the SAT, the most common introductory word for lists is including. You might also see words and phrases like such as, like, or among them. After words and phrases like these, you should not use a colon. Keep an eye out for introductory words followed by colons, which are a very common “trap” incorrect answer on the SAT.

Guided Example for Rule #2

Winding through the ice atop Norway’s Jotunheim Mountains is the Lendbreen pass, an ancient route that was used by hunters, farmers, traders, and travelers in the Middle Ages before eventually falling into disuse. Recently, archeologists have _____ knives, horseshoes, wool tunics, and thousands of other artifacts from the icy pass.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. unearthed:
B. unearthed,
C. unearthed—
D. unearthed

Source: SAT Educator Question Bank

The first step is to cut the clutter. For punctuation questions, we’re not interested in anything except the sentence that the question is about, so we can ignore the first sentence completely.

Now, substitute the missing word into the sentence to determine what punctuation you need.

Recently, archeologists have unearthed____knives, horseshoes, wool tunics, and thousands of other artifacts from the icy pass.

We’re looking at a list of items that were unearthed. Commas and long dashes don’t introduce lists, so we can eliminate options B and C. Now we’re choosing between A and D, which means we need to determine whether this list should be introduced with a colon or not.

Is what comes before the list a complete sentence by itself, meaning that it has a subject, a verb, and a complete idea?

Recently, archeologists have unearthed.

Nope: we don’t have a complete idea in this sentence. “Unearthed” doesn’t make sense without a direct object. Therefore, we can’t put a colon here, and we can eliminate choice A. Answer choice D is our answer here.

Rule #3: Use two dashes to set off extra information in a sentence

So far, we’ve seen ways to use a colon or a single dash. What about a pair of long dashes?

A pair of dashes can be used to set off extra information within a sentence. Another way of saying that is that if a phrase interrupts a complete sentence, you should set off the phrase with a pair of dashes (or a pair of commas).

To test whether you’re looking at a phrase interrupting a complete sentence, try crossing out the information that comes in the middle of the sentence. If the sentence is still grammatically complete without it, the part you crossed out was a phrase, and you can set it off with dashes.

  • The concert, which started an hour late, didn’t end until almost midnight. 
  • The concert, which started an hour late, didn’t end until almost midnight. 

A phrase that interrupts a complete sentence should always be set off with two commas or two long dashes, never just one.

That’s because of this golden rule:

The subject and the verb can be separated by 0 commas or dashes or by 2 commas or dashes, but never by just 1.

Here, the subject and verb of the main sentence (in bold) are separated by two dashes:

  • The concert–which started an hour late–didn’t end until almost midnight. 

It’s not correct to use just one dash:

  • The concert–which started an hour late, didn’t end until almost midnight. 

Tip: If you see a question on the SAT that has a single punctuation mark between subject and verb, first check if there’s a phrase inserted into a complete sentence. In that case, you need a second punctuation mark on the other side of the phrase, and it should be the same punctuation mark (a comma, a long dash, or a parenthesis).

If there’s no inserted phrase and there’s just a random punctuation mark inside the complete sentence, then the right choice is no punctuation. You don’t need it!

One more thing: bear in mind that you can only set off nonessential information with two commas or two dashes. If the sentence would not be grammatically correct without the information, then it should not be separated with punctuation. Here’s an example:

  • The field of geological oceanography owes much to American geologist Marie Tharp, a pioneering oceanographic cartographer. 

 You might be tempted to set off “Marie Tharp” with two commas:

  • The field of geological oceanography owes much to American geologist, Marie Tharp, a pioneering oceanographic cartographer.

But this wouldn’t be correct, because “Marie Tharp” isn’t extra information – it’s essential for the sentence to be grammatically correct. To confirm this, see what happens when you cross out the phrase:

  • The field of geological oceanography owes much to American geologist a pioneering oceanographic cartographer.

This clearly doesn’t make sense. For one thing, if “American geologist” isn’t followed by a name, then it needs the article “an” before it. In short: if you can’t remove a phrase and still have the sentence make sense, then the information is essential and should not be set off between punctuation.

Watch out for the difference in use between a single long dash and a pair of long dashes. Keep these tips in mind:

A pair of long dashes setting of non-essential information does not need to come after a complete sentence (and, in fact, it must come within a sentence).

If you see a single long dash among the answer choices, scan the non-underlined portion of the sentence to see if there’s another long dash there. If there is, then you may be looking at nonessential information set off by two long dashes. If not, then the single long dash must be preceded by a complete sentence.

Guided Example for Rule #3

n 2008, two years after the death of science fiction writer Octavia Butler, the Huntington Library in _____ received a collection of more than 8,000 items, including Butler’s private notes, research materials, manuscripts, photos, and drawings. Today, the Octavia E. Butler Collection is one of the most researched archives at the library.

Which choice completes the text so that it conforms to the conventions of Standard English?

A. California,
B. California:
C. California—
D. California

Source: SAT Educator Question Bank

Let’s start by cutting the clutter and focusing on the clause that the question is really about.

In 2008, two years after the death of science fiction writer Octavia Butler, the Huntington Library in California received a collection of more than 8,000 items, including Butler’s private notes, research materials, manuscripts, photos, and drawings.

We have a subject (the Huntington Library), a verb (received), and a complete idea, so this is a complete sentence

All of the answer choices except for D (no punctuation) involve putting a single punctuation mark between the subject and the verb, which would be incorrect. As simple as it seems, D is our answer.

To confirm that we don’t want any punctuation here, can we cross out any part of this sentence? In other words, is there a phrase inserted into the complete sentence? 

No: everything in this sentence is essential for the clause to make sense grammatically, so we don’t want any punctuation to separate an inessential addition to the sentence.

Notice, though, that we didn’t even have to raise the question of whether there was an additional phrase. Because all the incorrect answer choices would give us one punctuation mark between subject and verb, we can immediately cross them off.

Next Steps

Now that you’re familiar with the three rules for using colons and long dashes, you’re prepared for any question that might come your way on the SAT.

The good news is that, like any standardized test, the SAT is highly predictable. The more you practice, the more familiar you’ll get with the test’s format and conventions. It can also be a huge help to work with someone who’s deeply familiar with the test structure. All PrepMaven’s SAT tutors have been trained specifically for the new digital SAT, and many students see their scores go up by 100-300 points over a few months.

Learn more about our programs here, and get in touch with our team for a free consultation to figure out whether the SAT MasterClass or individual tutoring could be helpful for you.

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Ro

Rosamond graduated summa cum laude from Princeton. During college, she worked as a peer tutor for Italian, French, Greek, and academic writing. Since graduation, she’s continued to tutor students of all ages in French, Italian, Latin, English, and math, some of them for several years. She’s currently a graduate student studying the relationship between religion and secular law, and she works as a freelance journalist and translator.

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