Sentence A sentence is words expressing a complete thought. It has a subject (in a command, understood to be “you”) and a verb. Both the subject and the verb may be expanded (complete subject, predicate). Examples: Go! (command, subject = “you” understood, verb = “go”) They go. (subject = “they,” verb = “go”) All the […]
Non-essential
Em dashes
Dashes (-,–,—) Dashes come in different sizes: hyphen, en dash, and em dash. They each have different functions. Worse yet, the different official writing styles (AP vs. Chicago) have different rules. Em dash (—, a dash the width of the proportional letter “m”) —Neither AP nor Chicago style uses spaces around the em dash. In […]
Parentheses and brackets
Parenthetical (non-essential) information If the sentence is clear without the information, parentheses are appropriate (or commas or em dashes). ( )If what is enclosed is a separate, complete sentence, its ending punctuation falls just before the closing parenthesis. Otherwise, any required punctuation (comma, question mark, period, etc.) follows the closing parenthesis. Parentheses always come in […]
Parentheses
Parentheses Parentheses always come in pairs, an opening “(“ and a closing “).” Non-essential information ( ) Information that is not necessary to the sentence may be put in parentheses. It may be useful to the writer and/or reader, but the sentence does not need it to be complete. This would include time zones, area […]
Dashes
Dashes (-, –, —) Dashes come in three sizes: the hyphen (or minus sign), the en dash (the width of a non-proportional “n”), the em dash (the width of a non-proportional “m”). Generally, only the hyphen and the longer dash appear in fiction. Em dash (—): —Em dashes have specific uses for interruptions, but they […]
Commas
Deep sigh! Commas are confusing, but they do have a reason (actually, several reasons) to exist. Uses for commas Lists Commas replace repeated “and’s” in lists of three or more items or phrases. ,Examples: Sandra’s lemonade stand sold more than lemonade: cookies, candy, chocolates, and coffee for businessmen driving by at noon. I wasn’t with […]
Long Dash vs Commas vs Parentheses
Non-essential information Comma or em dash or parentheses Any of the three (em dash, commas, and parentheses) may be used to add non-essential information, but be consistent in your use. —,( ) The em dash, when adding descriptive information, implies more emphasis, perhaps because it is not used as often. While these punctuations may seem […]
