Question

Which of the given sentence is wrong in terms of the usage of 'colon' in it:

• A. Bizarre things were happening in his life: mentally and physically.
• B. The mixture contained: milk, raisins and fruits.
• C. Abdul summed up: all the three; physics, chemistry and maths.
• D. He was proud of his son: a doctor.

Answer 1

The correct option is C Abdul summed up: all the three; physics, chemistry and maths.

We need to choose the option that does NOT use the colon correctly. So, the options with the CORRECT sentences are WRONG.
The colon ':' has various functions. It is used for introducing a list, like in option B, where it introduces a list of things in the mixture: milk, raisins and fruits.
Since B has the correct sentence, option B is wrong.
The colon is also used to introduce appositives. Appositives are nouns, pronouns or noun phrases that modify or explain other nouns, pronouns and noun phrases.
This can be seen in options A and D. In A, 'mentally and physically' describes the bizarre things that were happening in his life.
In D, 'doctor' describes the profession of his son, by saying that his son was a doctor.
Since these sentences are correct, options A and D are wrong.
This leaves option C. A colon cannot be used when it appears to break the flow of the sentence, as it does in C. The colon follows directly after the verb 'summed up'.
(One should avoid using a colon after a verb or preposition.)
Since option C has the incorrect usage, it is the right answer.