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For example:

I did a quick search and found the following, but I am still confused: 
List item 1
List item 2
etc.

Is it appropriate to still use the colon after adding the statement , but I am still confused? The colon doesn't feel as if it fits so well after the statement is added.

Should but I am still confused be moved elsewhere (such as into parentheses)?

I feel as though this reads better:

I did a quick search and found the following (but I am still confused): 
List item 1
List item 2
etc.

Are they both correct? Is one preferable over the other? Or is there a better solution outside of these two options?

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4
  • Either the first or the second with the colon after the parenthetical. The colon before the parenthetical makes no sense.
    – RegDwigнt
    Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 21:31
  • @RegDwigнt Alright, edited the position of the parenthetical. Go ahead an post this as an answer if you feel that it answers the question!
    – Lemmings19
    Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 21:35
  • I am rep capped for today. Someone else can take it. They are probably already writing it up anyway.
    – RegDwigнt
    Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 21:51
  • I agree with Reg that the comma before the parenthetical is not acceptable, but this is another case where the parenthetical has a say in the form of the matrix sentence (albeit only its punctuation).
    – Edwin Ashworth
    Commented Dec 30, 2013 at 23:41

2 Answers 2

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If your goal is to end the introductory sentence with a colon immediately after the word following, you can achieve it by phrasing the sentence along these lines:

I did a quick search and—though I remain somewhat confused—found the following:

List item 1

List item 2

etc.

Having said that, I don't think that anything is wrong with either of the two options that you offer in your original question. As both RegDwight and Edwin Ashworth noted in their comments, putting the colon before the parenthetical, as in

I did a quick search and found the following: (but I am still confused)

is not a good option.

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0

Have you considered this version?

I did a quick search and found the following, but I am still confused with:

List item 1

List item 2

etc.

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2
  • In this context, the list isn't what the person is confused with.
    – Lemmings19
    Commented Jan 2, 2014 at 1:41
  • @Lemmings19 Oh, I misunderstood... Sorry about that!
    – Lester Nubla
    Commented Jan 2, 2014 at 2:04

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