Miscellaneous other punctuation

1. Miscellaneous other punctuation

2. The punctuation marks covered in this lesson— • hyphens, parentheses, and diagonal marks—serve very specific purposes. • Knowing and understanding their functions gives a writer an advantage in communicating ideas.

3. Hyphens • The main purpose of a hyphen is to join words to create a compound word, which is a combination of words used as one word. • Compound words may be written in three ways: as a single word, as two words, or as a hyphenated word. • Whenever you are in doubt, consult a recent dictionary. Since language changes constantly, a word written as two words often evolves into a hyphenated word, then eventually becomes a single word • .For example, the word semicolon began as two separate words (semi colon). In the late fifties, dictionaries began listing it as a hyphenated word (semi-colon). A recent dictionary will list it as a single word (semicolon).

4. Two-Word Compound Nouns • couch potato • hat rack • window box • guitar pick • Hyphenated Compound Nouns • father-in-law • mayor-elect • cook-off • co-payment • light-year • ball-and-socket joint • Single-Word Compound Nouns • driveway • raindrop • candlelight • speedboat • sunscreen • watermelon

5. Use a hyphen to join more than two words into a single word. • know-it-all • good-for-nothing • five-year-old • • Use a hyphento join two or more words that function as a single modifying word. If the modifying words follow the word they modify, the modifying words are not hyphenated. Pay special attention to how these • hyphenated adjectives are used when they follow the nouns they modify. • An ill-trained evaluator causes more problems than no evaluator at all. The evaluator was ill trained. • Management and the union finally agreed after months of hard-nosed • negotiations. • The negotiations were hard nosed. • Note: Some hyphenated adjectives, such as old-fashioned and ladder-back, and the words in the following section, keep their hyphens no matter where they are in a sentence. Check a recent dictionary when in doubt.

6. Use a hyphen to join prefixes such as self, half, ex, all, great, post, pro, former, and vice or the suffix elect to words. • The President unveiled the all-powerful orbiting space station. • Lee Iacocca is a self-made man. • You need to keep your half-baked plans a secret. • Bobby saw his ex-wife leaving the drug store. • Max’s great-grandfather passed away on Wednesday. • Senior citizens remember the post-war years with great fondness. • The treasurer-elect picked up all the records from the presiding treasurer. • • Use a hyphen to avoid confusing or awkward spellings. • The committee’s job was to re-pair [not repair]the tournament participants. • My mother decided to re-cover [not recover] her old rocking chair. • • Use a hyphen to join a capital letter to a word. • After that you’ll see a T-intersection. • Turn right at the first road after the S-curve. • The carpenter used a T-square.

7. • Use a hyphen to write two-word numbers between 21 and 99 as words. • seventy-two thirty-four ninety-nine • • Use a hyphen to join fractions written as words. • one-half three-fourths • • Use a hyphen to join numbers to words used as a single adjective. • four-year loan six-foot window seven-year lease two-year-old girl • Note: When a series of similar number-word adjectives is written in a sentence, use a hyphen/comma combination with all but the last item in the series. • Plywood comes in two-, four-, and six-foot sheets. • Joe scored three touchdowns on twelve-, sixteen-, and five-yard carries.

8. William Shakespeare (1564–1616) is the most widely read English writer. • The Cyclones won the game 78–67. • The speech should last 5–7 minutes. • Use a hyphen to separate a word between syllables at the end of a line. • Here are a few guidelines for dividing words: • Never leave a single-letter syllable on a line. • Divide hyphenated words at the hyphen. • Never divide a one-syllable word. • Avoid dividing words that have fewer than six letters. • Avoid dividing the last word of a paragraph. • Avoid dividing a number. • When in doubt, always check a dictionary.

9. Dashes: A dash is a specialized punctuation mark reserved for only a few types of situations. However, many writers use it incorrectly. Dashes call attention to themselves. Because of this, a careful writer uses them sparingly. They are very effective if used correctly, but they lose their impact if they are overused. • I. • Use a dash to mark a sudden break in thought or to insert a comment. • I remember the day—what teenager doesn’t—that the space shuttle exploded. • Abby is delighted—as we are—about your new job. • II. Use a dash to emphasize explanatory material. You don’t have to use a dash, but you may. • Realizing your limitations—time, money, and energy—makes planning more realistic. • He lit a cigarette inside the building—an unconscious habit.

10. III. Use a dash to indicate omitted letters. • “Oh, d—, I lost the code for the copier!” • He had received a letter from Mrs. N—. • • IV. Use a dash to connect a beginning phrase to the rest of the sentence. • Diversity and challenge—these are the advantages of our new programming. • Albany, New York, and Trenton, New Jersey—that’s where our current staff will be relocating.

11. Diagonal mark • Much like the hyphen, a diagonal mark (also called a solidus or a slant mark) is used to join words or numbers. The most frequent use of the diagonal is with the words and/or, which shows that the sentence refers to one or both of the words being joined. • The cast will consent to interviews on radio and/or TV. • Applesauce and/or blended fruits can replace oil in most cake recipes.

12. Use a diagonal mark to separate numbers in a fraction. • It takes us 4½ hours to do the inventory at the end of the week. • He’ll want a 1⅝-inch wrench for this nut