- I like some desserts. They are ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and apple pie. (我喜歡若干飯後甜點。它們是冰淇淋、草莓蛋糕和蘋果派) (正)
- I like some desserts. They are: ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and apple pie. (誤)
解說：冒號 (colon) (:) 的前面 (左邊) 須為獨立子句 (independent clause)，而 “They are” 並非獨立子句。下句為一個正確使用冒號的句子：
- I like the following desserts: Ice cream, strawberry shortcake, and apple pie. (我喜歡下列飯後甜點：冰淇淋、草莓蛋糕和蘋果派)