Most writers are familiar with the grammatical rules that govern the usage of such punctuation marks as the comma, question mark, and apostrophe. Not all writers, though, are familiar with the rules governing usage of the “lesser” punctuation marks, perhaps because incorrect usage of these punctuation marks does not as adversely affect a sentence’s structure and, subsequently, its meaning, as does incorrect usage of other punctuation marks.
This does not mean, however, that writers should not learn the rules governing the usage of all punctuation marks, because punctuating a sentence correctly is one sign of an accomplished writer.
Grammar Rules for When to Use the Dash
In order to create a dash on a word-processing program, one simply keys the hyphen twice immediately after one word and immediately before the next; and dashes are used in the following instances:
To set off parenthetical material for emphasis, for example:
- Tom felt that everything that went wrong on the day of his job interview—from the stain on his best tie to the Honda’s flat tire—was a sign the gods were conspiring against him.
To set off appositive words or phrases containing commas (an appositive is a noun or noun phrase that renames a another noun), for example:
- Tom thought his most basis needs—football, television, beer, and pretzels—were not nearly as ridiculous as Sue claimed.
To restate a thought, present a list, amplify a statement, or present a dramatic shift in thought or tone, for example:
- Frank tossed the football to Tom, who lunged forward, reached out with both hands, shouted in triumph—and missed it completely.
- Sue put the baking ingredients on the third—flour, shortening, vegetable oil, cornmeal, sugar, and baking soda.
Grammar Rules for When to Use the Slash
One usage of the slash is to mark divisions in lines of poetry that are being incorporated into text, for example:
- Tom wrote Sue a poem for her birthday, and she found the opening lines extremely moving: “I love you as much / No, make that more / than I love beer and pretzels / which, my dear, is saying a lot / since beer really wets my whistle.”
The slash is also used between terms to indicate that either term is applicable and/or acceptable, for example:
- It was a pass/fail test.
- Tom thought he wanted ice cream and/or chocolate cake for dessert.
- Tom noted that the play’s writer/director was George Myers, an old friend from college.
Note: When the slash is used between lines of poetry, there is a space before and after the slash.
Grammar Rules for When to Use Parentheses
Parentheses are used to enclose (or set off) supplemental material, illustrations, letters, numbers, digressions, and afterthoughts, for example:
- Tom thought every man (as Thoreau had argued) should be allowed to march to the beat of his own drummer.
- Tom, Frank, and Joe, who dubbed themselves “The Three Musketeers” (Sue calls them “The Three Stooges”), decided to play tackle football.
- Tom read the submission guidelines, which stipulated that manuscripts must be formatted a certain way: (1) one-inch margins, (2) page breaks between chapters, (3) page numbers on every page, and (4) no hard indents for first lines of paragraphs.
Grammar Rules for When to Use Brackets
Brackets are used to indicate that words or phrases have been inserted into an original direct quote, for example:
- A report in Science Daily states, “There is a direct relationship between creativity and their [creative individuals’] sensitivity to surrounding environmental stimuli.”
Brackets are also used with the Latin word “sic” to indicate that an error in a direct quote appears in the original, for example:
- Tom quoted an article from Sunday’s paper that stated, “The New Orleans Saints scoured [sic] a touchdown in the first 5 minutes of the game.”
Grammar Rules for When to Use Ellipsis Points
An ellipsis point consists of three spaced periods, and one usage is to indicated that words have been omitted from otherwise word-for-word quotations, for example:
- According to John Donne, “No man is an island . . . every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
Another usage of the ellipsis points is to indicative a reflective pause or hesitation, for example:
- Staring up at the sky, Tom shouted, “It’s a bird . . . a plane . . . a comet . . . no, it’s Superman!”
- “Love, like other emotions, has causes . . . and consequences.” ~Lawrence Casler
Note: Do not use the ellipsis point at the beginning of a quotation; and if material is omitted at the end of a quotation, use a period before the ellipsis points. Moreover, if one or more entire sentences are omitted from an original quotation, insert a period before the ellipsis points to indicate the omission.
In summary, although misusing these particular punctuation marks isn’t apt to create the confusion generated by the misuse of others, writers who know how to use them correctly are far more likely to make a positive impression upon readers.
Carol Rzadkiewicz - Carol Rzadkiewicz has taught college English for over 14 years and is the author of three published novels and numerous short stories.
