Here I present you two scenarios of mine:
This can be explained very easily, with this example:
example here
and
This can be explained very easily:
example here
On the first situation, I am telling I am about to give you an example, while on the second situation, I don't. Yet, the two points make it quite clear already. Which situation is more correct?
You see, on the first situation, the "with this example" part looks a bit too useless, however, without it, it looks a bit incomplete.
Which situation is more correct?
Both the sentences are correct, and how you use the colon is correct in both the cases.
The colon is used to introduce something that explains or expands upon the part of the sentence it immediately follows. In other words, what comes after a colon delivers on the promise set up by what comes before it.
All of which brings up to a point: How does one know when it's right to capitalize the first word of a clause immediately following a colon?—Comma Sense, Richard Lederer and John Shore.
