Parenthetical (non-essential) informationNon-essential refers to the sentence rather than to its meaning. The reader needs to know what is being explained whether or not the sentence cares.( … [Read more...] about Parentheses and brackets surround non-essential information and short translations.
Non-essential
Comparison of Long Dash vs Commas vs Parentheses for explanatory phrases
— , ( )Non-essential (explanatory) information"Non-essential" refers to the sentence, not to the meaning in the story. Think "explanatory."Bob, who built the house, knew all its … [Read more...] about Comparison of Long Dash vs Commas vs Parentheses for explanatory phrases
A complete thought is expressed by a good sentence, a puzzle of pieces properly put together.
SentenceA sentence is words expressing a complete thought.It has a subject (doer) and an action (what is done).Diagramming a sentence to show some of the parts needed to share a complete … [Read more...] about A complete thought is expressed by a good sentence, a puzzle of pieces properly put together.
Dashes (-, –, —) connect syllables, words, explanations.
Dashes come in three sizes:the em dash (the width of a non-proportional “m”), which connects explanations or action tags with dialogue.the en dash (the width of a non-proportional “n”), which … [Read more...] about Dashes (-, –, —) connect syllables, words, explanations.
Commas separate to avoid confusion.
Deep sigh! Commas are confusing, but they do have a reason (actually, several reasons) to exist.,Uses for commasListsCommas separate items in a list by replacing repeated “and’s” in … [Read more...] about Commas separate to avoid confusion.
