The Dash July 21, 2009
Posted by egutierrez in : Punctuation , add a commentThe dash (–) is a great punctuation mark to use whenever you want to interrupt a sentence to add a set of words or phrase for emphasis. In the following sentence, the dash is used to set off a piece of text the author wants to stress:
That country — whose president promised a new era of peace — will go to war with its neighbor.
Notice the emphasis placed on whose president promised a new era of peace. Notice also the way your eyes seem to glide over the sentence faster than had the author chosen to use commas instead. Take a look at the same sentence which uses commas instead of dashes:
That country, whose president promised a new era of peace, will go to war with its neighbor.
The difference is subtle, but you should be able to notice a change not only in the pace the sentence is read, but in the way the phrase is emphasized. In the second sentence, the reader tends to make a pause upon arriving at the first comma (which is what the comma is supposed to make the reader do), then read the phrase, then pause again when he or she reaches the last comma, then read the remainder of the sentence. With the first sentence that uses dashes, though, there are no pauses before and after the phrase. In fact, with the dash the reader tends to jump right to the phrase and finish the entire sentence in one look (or one breath, if being read aloud). This effect allows the reader to process the sentence faster and grasp the importance of the emphasized phrase in a way that often surprises the reader.
The Colon July 20, 2009
Posted by egutierrez in : Punctuation , add a comment(1) The colon (:) is used in a complete sentence to mark the beginning of a list, restatement, or explanation. With a list a colon can only be used when the preceding sentence is a complete sentence. For example,
Three months out of the year are the hottest: June, July, and August.
A colon is required with a list when phrases like as follows or the following are used, but not when such as or including are used. For example,
The hottest months include the following: June, July, and August.
(2) A colon can mark a restatement (of what was previously said in that sentence) only if what precedes the colon is a complete sentence. For example,
The homeless and elderly prepared for the hottest months of the year: June, July, and August.
(3) A colon can be used to introduce a quote. Whenever a complete sentence is used to introduce a quote, use a colon. For example,
Mr. Smith summarized the weather perfectly: “It is sweltering!”
If the words used to introduce a quote do not make up a complete sentence, use a comma instead.
(4) Finally, you can use a colon to connect two complete sentences when the first sentence summarizes or explains the second sentence. For example,
August 3 was the hottest day in recent memory: hospitals were flooded with people suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.
**Adopted from Simon & Schuster’s Handbook for Writers, Third Edition, by Lynn Quitman Troyka
The Semicolon July 20, 2009
Posted by egutierrez in : Punctuation , add a comment(1) The semicolon (;) is used to connect two complete sentences (independent clauses) that are closely related. For example,
Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon; Buzz Aldrin was the second.
Notice that we have two complete sentences here separated by a semicolon. We can also use a comma and a conjunction (and, but, or, nor, yet) to connect these two sentences, as in
Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon, and Buzz Aldrin was the second.
Be careful, though, that you don’t confuse the two methods of connecting complete sentences together. If you use a semicolon, connect the sentences as is without any type of conjunction. If you prefer to use a conjunction, notice also that a comma is used before a conjunction.
(2) There is one exception, though. If you connect two complete sentences with a conjunction, and one of the sentences already contains a comma, you can use a semicolon to connect them. For example,
When the Apollo 11 lander touched down, Neil Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon; and Buzz Aldrin became the second.
(3) You can also use a semicolon to connect two complete sentences when the second sentence begins with a conjunctive adverb (words like however, therefore, thus, furthermore, moreover) or a transitional phrase such as in fact or as a result. For example,
Buzz Aldrin was proud to have set foot on the moon; however, he wasn’t the first person to do so.
Notice here that a comma is used after the conjunctive adverb. Be sure not to omit it whenever using the semicolon-conjunctive adverb combination.
(4) Finally, you can use a semicolon to separate a series of phrases or sentences when they themselves contain lists separated by commas. For example,
Elated about being the first person to land on the moon, Neil Armstrong bolted onto the rocky surface; observed the stars, the Earth, and the barren lunar landscape; and told Buzz Aldrin how much he loved space, how he wanted to drive the lunar rover, and how he wished he could resay his famous “one small step for man” line.
**Adopted from Simon & Schuster’s Handbook for Writers, Third Edition, by Lynn Quitman Troyka