Writer's Web: Other Punctuation Marks: Colons, Parentheses, Brackets, ...

http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/punctmrk.html

Other Punctuation Marks: Colons, Parentheses, Brackets, Ellipses, Dashes, Slashes (printable version here) Colons Parentheses Brackets Ellipsis Marks Hyphens Dashes Slashes Use COLONS: After an independent clause to introduce a list. ex.: Novelists of the Naturalistic school include the following: Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, and Frank Norris. With some quotations. ex.: The title of Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath comes from a line in the first verse of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic": "He is trampling down the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored." With appositives (a noun or noun phrase that renames a nearby noun). ex.: I will be traveling to three major cities in Asia: Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Bangkok. Note: Appositives are usually set off by commas. ex.: The designer of Cher's dress, Bob Mackie, also designed for the stars of "Dynasty." Between independent clauses when the second restates or explains the first. ex.: We are very excited to work in the Writing Center: it is a fun and interesting job. Use PARENTHESES: For supplemental material or digressions. ex.: Brad Pitt is an extremely talented, charismatic (not to mention attractive), film actor. Note: Avoid using parentheses this way in your papers. Whenever possible, work supplemental material and digressions into your sentences. Use BRACKETS: To enclose words or phrases of your own that you are inserting in a direct quotation. ex.: The senator asserted, "He [Judge Thomas] is a worthy candidate for the Supreme Court, the charges against him notwithstanding." Use ELLIPSIS MARKS: To show that you have deleted words from a direct quotation. The rules can be a bit confusing, but we have provided some details on our page about the use of direct quotations. Use HYPHENS: To assist readers' comprehension by connecting multiple-word modifiers (like that one). The exception is for "ly" modifiers. ex.: The ninety-year-old man drove the slowly moving Buick LeSabre in the wrong direction down the four-lane highway, straight into the rapidly approaching traffic.

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Writer's Web: Other Punctuation Marks: Colons, Parentheses, Brackets, ...

http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/punctmrk.html

Use DASHES: To set off parenthetical material that deserves emphasis. ex.: Coleridge was able--through the generosity of a wealthy patron--to concentrate on his poetry full time. Note: A dash can also be used to set off an appositive that contains commas: ex.: The major characters in Light in August--Lena Grove, Joe Christmas, and Gail Hightower--are all connected by a relationship with Byron Bunch. Note: When typing, use two hyphens with no space before, between or after to indicate a dash. Use SLASHES: To separate lines of poetry that you quote in your text. ex.: The beginning of the "Eolian Harp" is filled with traditional Romantic pastoral imagery, "Our cot o'ergrown / With white-flowered Jasmin, and broad-leav'd Myrtle,". Note: There should be a space before and after the slash. Back to 'Punctuation' Writer's Web | Writing Center | Make an Appointment | Library Copyright Info

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