CHAPTER 19-2
Eight punctuation marks and how to use them
1. Colons are introducers. Use a colon to introduce something, a list of things or a long quotation. Examples:
He made big promises: no new taxes, more services and less government.
Smith had this to say about the changes: “I am in favor of progress, but these proposals will cost too much, take too long, ….”
2. Semi-colons are separators. They separate two or more complete sentences that are related to each other in theme or content. A semi-colon can always be replaced by a period but never by a comma. Example:
The day is long; the students are tired; it’s time to go home.
3. Hyphens are joiners. They like to hang around in groups. Hyphens join compound modifiers such as “4-year-old” or “fast-approaching thunderstorm.” Use a hyphen whenever you have two or more adverbs or adjectives modifying a noun. Exception: do not use hyphens to join adverbs ending in “ly,” such as “clearly focused idea” or “seriously damaged cargo.” Example:
The 78-year-old seriously injured man was taken to the county-supported hospital.
4. Dashes are also introducers. They set off an idea or concept from the remainder of the sentence. Dashes are used to introduce a surprising idea or an abrupt change. On the keyboard, use two hyphens (--) to create a dash and do not leave a space on either side. Examples:
She left it all—love, money and fame—to devote her life to helping the poor.
He is tall, handsome, rich—and cruel.
5. Parentheses should be avoided in journalistic writing because they confuse the reader. If you have a parenthetical remark, write another sentence to explain the idea. Or you can sometimes set off parenthetical material with commas or dashes.
6. Brackets should be used to insert your own words or explanations into a quotation. Do not use parentheses because it would look like the speaker, and not the writer, said it. Examples:
“My main asset in the race [for U.S. Senate] is my experience,” says Smith.
“I feel that OSHA [Occupational Health and Safety Administration] has its tentacles in too many places,” said Steve McGregor, the company’s president.
7. Exclamation points should also be avoided unless you are quoting someone else. Beginning writers sometimes use the exclamation point to try to create a mood they don’t know how to create with words. It’s like a command to the reader: “You’re supposed to get excited here.” The better way is to create excitement with your choice of words and ideas. Example:
“Good grief!” he said. “Whatever did you do?”
8. Ellipses are used whenever you omit a few words from a speaker’s quotation (which you may) or from quoted material. Example:
“I have not yet decided… my position on that issue,” said the candidate.
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