How To Use Brackets And Dashes

Using the en dash to denote a connection.

How to use brackets and dashes. A pair of brackets commas or dashes can be used to enclose the extra information or. The plural of parenthesis is parentheses. When used to extend a sentence a dash can replace a semicolon a colon or three dots used as a pause for effect. You can also use two lines not just one which is a hyphen 9. Parenthesis is a word or clause inserted into a text to show an afterthought or as extra information.

This lesson we will be covering how to use brackets and dashes accurately a very useful skill. The dashes can be found under special characters. When used as parentheses dashes are alternatives to brackets or commas. Generally speaking the dash does not have a unique role. Use for a word that is too long to fit at the end of a sentence.

Use the hyphen at the end of a syllable. Just be careful not to overuse the dash as it s less formal than other punctuation. Also remember that a dash is composed of either an em dash first three sentences above or en dash bottom sentence. Use an en dash when you need to connect terms that are already hyphenated or when you are using a two word phrase as a modifier. You will need a pen and paper.

The sentence should always make sense without the parenthesis whether commas dashes or brackets are used. Although ms word converts a hyphen to a longer en dash automatically when you put spaces at either side of it and press space or enter after the following word this is not actually the correct form of punctuation. We will be using them to explore how you can create a convincing narrative voice. The en dash may also be used to indicate a connection between two words. Sign up to complete it for free or.

Use brackets when the information is purely incidental and unimportant but may help some readers. Use commas when you do not want to disrupt the flow. To get a true em dash in ms word and some other word processors use ctrl alt with the minus sign the one on your number pad. It is usually used as an alternative to another type of punctuation. When the dash is used in this way it creates a compound adjective.