I got a syntax error in my first Python script at 11pm in my dorm and I'm still not sure which fix was right

Taylor Ellis · 2026-09-19T17:15:04.297839+00:00

I was sitting in my dorm room at Ohio State last Tuesday night trying to write a simple calculator script, and Python kept throwing a syntax error on line 14 that I could not figure out. I tried deleting the colon after my if statement (instant fix) and then a friend on Discord told me colons are always needed, so now I am confused about whether I got lucky or learned the actual rule. Which side are you on: should beginners memorize syntax rules cold, or is it fine to just guess and fix errors as they pop up?

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I got a syntax error in my first Python script at 11pm in my dorm and I'm still not sure which fix was right | Coding For Beginners - Babble Community