MECHANICS Semicolon Colon Parentheses Dash Ellipsis Semicolon 1
- Slides: 12
MECHANICS Semicolon Colon Parentheses Dash Ellipsis
Semicolon (1 of 3) � Joins related independent clauses when a coordinating conjunction is not used Ex. ) I will not paint the house; you can’t make me. Ex. ) Sally built a tree house; she painted it blue.
Semicolon (2 of 3) � A conjunctive adverb connects two parts of a sentence and modifies a verb. � Accordingly, besides, otherwise, afterwards, consequently, moreover, furthermore, nevertheless � Ex. ) I would like to go to the museum with you; however, I must visit my dentist instead. � Ex. ) Jim had given much thought to his future; therefore, it came as no surprise when he returned to school.
Semicolon (3 of 3) � Separates items in a list that contain commas � Ex. ) I packed my suitcase with old, comfortable jeans; rugged, warm sweaters; and new, freshly starched shirts. Ex. ) I visited many places this summer, including Rockville, Maryland; Newark, New Jersey; and Chico, California. �
Colon ( 1 of 4) � Introduce a list, following a noun � Ex. ) Frank plays many sports: baseball, basketball, football, and soccer.
Colon (2 of 4) � Join independent clauses when the second modifies the first � Ex. ) Mike learned a serious lesson about aquarium maintenance: Do not over-feed fish, as this causes water to cloud.
Colon (3 of 4) � Introduce a quotation � Ex. ) Atticus stated: “You do not really know a person until you stand in his shoes. ”
Colon (4 of 4) � Business letter salutation � Ex. ) Dear Sir or Madam: � Ex. ) Dear Ms. Lee:
Parentheses � Encloses supplemental information that is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence � Ex. ) Derek Jeter (a generous philanthropist) will undoubtedly go to the Hall of Fame.
Dash � Dashes emphasize certain material within a sentence. They are typed as two dashes with no space in the middle. Your computer will likely change this to one longer line, which is correct. But, when handwriting, use the two shorter dashes. � Ex. ) Three members of the Board of Regents – even the newly appointed member – voted to reduce the education budget.
Ellipsis (1 of 2) � Technically an ellipsis is used to denote something missing, prompting the reader to think; sometimes this is used as a means to foreshadow something to come. � Ex. ) The student was caught cheating and sent to the principal’s office…
Ellipsis (2 of 2) � More often than not, an ellipsis is used to create a pause in a sentence in order to allow the reader to think and then the writer completes the sentence. � Ex. ) Do you really want to make that move… I didn’t think so.
