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Using Dashes and Parentheses

Using Dashes and Parentheses. _ (and). Standard. ELACC8L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break.

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Using Dashes and Parentheses

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  1. Using Dashes and Parentheses _ (and)

  2. Standard ELACC8L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (comma, ellipsis, dash) to indicate a pause or break. b. Use an ellipsis to indicate an omission. c. Spell correctly.

  3. Parentheses • Parentheses are punctuation marks that set off material that has been included in a sentence but that doesn’t fit with the flow of the sentence. (parentheses) Ex. Occasionally people (including good friends) can act cruelly.

  4. Parentheses Might Also • Set off dates Philadelphia's Yellow Fever epidemic (1793) killed a record number of people. • Clarify information In the North, people often eat popovers (a light, hollow bread roll) for breakfast. • Define an abbreviation I am considering applying to USC (University of South Carolina • Cite a source Mattie endured a week of “unceasing heat” (Anderson 34).

  5. Parentheses Usage 1 • If the parentheses interrupt the sentence, don’t capitalize anything inside of them. Ex. Muhammed Ali (arguably the greatest boxer of all time) claimed he would "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."

  6. Parentheses Usage 2 • Don’t use any end punctuation within the parentheses unless it makes sense to add a question mark Ex. Thirty-five years after his death, Robert Frost (do you remember him?) remains America's favorite poet.

  7. Parentheses usage 3 • You may use both capitalization and punctuation if the information is a completely separate sentence. Ex. In the Victorian Era, ladies were not allowed to show their ankles in public. (Now such a rule seems silly.)

  8. Dash vs. Hyphen • A dash is basically a long hyphen • Hyphen: - • Dash: or -- • A Hyphen is used to join words to form new ones, to hyphenate between syllables when changing lines mid word, or to show a range (1-100). • Dashes are used when joining or separating ideas in a sentence.

  9. Dash Usage 1 • A dash is used to set off material that has been added to a sentence, but that is not considered of major importance. (Kind of like parentheses). Example: Mr. Lee would be good at the job—he has tons of prior experience—but he probably won’t take it.

  10. Dash Usage 2 • A Dash Can Also set off an appositive that already contains commas • My cousins—Tina, Todd, and Sam—arrived at the party together. (You can achieve the same effect with a colon).

  11. Dash Usage 3 • A Dash can also show a sudden break in thoughts or an interruption in speech Example: The chemistry student began to say, “An organic solvent will only work with—” when her cell phone rang.  *Note-a dash is more abrupt than an ellipsis

  12. Dash Usage 4 • Or replace words like “such as” or “it is” Example: There was only one person who could save the city—Batman.

  13. Dash Rule 5 • Use a dash if a person is stammering or faltering in speech. Example: “But-but-I didn’t do anything wrong!” Keith protested.

  14. Dash or Parentheses? • Note that parentheses tend to de-emphasize text whereas dashes tend to make material seem even more important.

  15. But Really… • One should avoid dashes and parentheses if possible. If the material is important enough, use some other means of including it within your text—even if it means writing another sentence.

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