Hyphens, Dashes and Parentheses

Hyphens, Dashes, and Parentheses

v  Use a hyphen (-) to show the division of a word at the end of a line.  Always divide the word between its syllables.  Since many word processing programs do not hyphenate words, this rule mainly applies in handwritten and typewritten documents.   There are a few rules that you must follow:

§  Do not divide one syllable words.

§  Do not divide words so that one letter remains alone.

§  Divide hyphenated words at a hyphen.

Ø  Because she spent many summers helping on her grandparent’s farm, Samantha en-

joyed baking cakes using fresh ingredients.

v  Use a hyphen in compound numbers.

Ø  It took her forty-three days to perfect the batter's new recipe.

v  Use a hyphen in a fraction that is spelled out.

Ø  The new recipe calls for a one-half pint of cream.

Ø 

v  Use a hyphen or hyphens in certain compound words.

Ø  My great-grandmother really liked using her churned butter.

Ø  Peggy’s sisters-in-law want me to cater their mother’s party.

v  Hyphenate a compound modifier only when it precedes the word it modifies.

Ø  She stores her recipes in a well-worn binder.

Ø  Her finger-worn pages have great notes about different family members.

v  Use a hyphen after the prefixes all-, great-, ex-, and self­-.

Ø  Laura’s chocolate cake won an all-American ribbon at the fair.

Ø  It was my great-grandmother’s recipe.

Ø  Winning the medal gave Laura the self-confidence she needed to pursue her dream of owning a bakery

v  Use a hyphen to separate any prefix used before a proper noun or proper adjective.

Ø  Many of the recipes date back to the pre-Civil War era.

Ø  It will be mid-November before our building is complete.

v  Use a hyphen before the suffixes -elect, and -free.

Ø  None of them are sugar-free, so we will have to make adjustments.

Ø  The president-elect of our organization wants to help with advertising.

v  Use a dash (— ) or dashes to show a sudden break or change in thought or speech.  Dashes are longer than hyphens.  When using a word processing program, type two hyphens for a dash.  Many programs recognize this and make the automated correction.

Ø  “I have no idea—excuse me, Samantha—why you would want to add more sugar,” said Laura.

Ø  Laura—she burned her hand—will be happy to know that the mixers are automatic.

v  Use parentheses to enclose material that is added to a sentence and is not considered important.

Ø  Julia Child (1912-2004) was a great inspiration to Samantha.

Apostrophes and Contractions

Apostrophes

v  Use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of a singular noun and a plural noun that does not end in an s.

Ø  Samantha’s grandmother’s recipe

Ø  the women’s collection

Ø  Jess’s pound cake

v  Use an apostrophe to form the possessive of a plural noun that ends in s.  For plural possessives that do not end in s, add an apostrophe and an s (‘s).

Ø  the sisters’ collection

Ø  the men’s favorite pies

v  Use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) to form the possessive of an indefinite pronoun.  Never use an apostrophe and an s (‘s) in a possessive pronoun.

Ø  The burnt cake pan is no one’s fault.

Ø  I had to clean everyone’s dishes!

Ø  Those recipes are yours.  These recipes are ours.

Ø  I made my grandmother’s cream cheese icing, and hers is better.

v  Use an apostrophe to replace the omitted letters in a contraction.

Ø  We can’t give you anymore samples. (can not)

Ø  She didn’t make a very large supply. (did not)

Ø  We’re under the impression that this recipe is very marketable. (We are)

Ø  They’d had many successful tries at baking. (They had)

Ø  We left at 9 o’clock. (of the clock)

v  Use an apostrophe to replace the omitted numbers in a year.

Ø  The class of ’74 will be returning for a special event.

Sometimes possessive pronouns can be confused with contractions.  Be careful to use context clues from the sentence to help you understand.

v  It’s and Its - It’s is the contraction of it is.  Its is a possessive pronoun.

Ø  Because it’s snowing really hard, our dog lost its way home.

v  Who’s and Whose – Who’s is the contraction of who is and who has.  Whose is a possessive pronoun.

Ø  Whose idea was it to create a website that asks “Who’s your Favorite Celebrity Chef”?

v  You’re and Your – You’re is the contraction of you are.  Your is a possessive pronoun.

Ø  You’re sure that you didn’t lose your earring in the cake?

v  They’re and Their (and There) – They’re is the contraction of they are.  Their is a possessive pronoun.  There is an adverb meaning at or in that place, or it is used at the beginning of a sentence.

Ø  There are a few things that they’re doing wrong with their recipe.

v  There’s and Theirs – There’s is the contraction of there is.  Theirs is a possessive pronoun.

Ø  We carefully checked the grammar in our contract, but there’s bound to be mistakes in theirs.

Semicolons and Colons

Semicolons and Colons

v  Use a semicolon to join the independent clauses of a compound sentence when a coordinating conjunction, such as and, or, nor, or but is NOT used.

Ø  Many people visit the small towns of New England; they often look for antiques and collectibles.

v  Use a semicolon to join parts of a compound sentence when the main clauses are long and are separated by commas.  Semicolons are used even when a coordinating conjunction is present.

Ø  Antiques are highly favored by my mother, my aunts, and my cousin; but, I have yet to acquire that taste.

v  Use a semicolon to separate main clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb.  The conjunctive adverbs are consequently, furthermore, however, moreover, nevertheless, or therefore.  Remember to use a comma after the conjunctive adverb.

Ø  Many antiques are in poor condition; however, when you find one that is in great condition, it’s usually very valuable.

v  Use a colon to introduce a list of items at the end of a sentence.  Remember to use phrases such as these, the following, or as follows to show that the list follows.  However, colons are not used immediately after prepositions or verbs.

Ø  When redecorating my downstairs, I searched for the following: a secretary desk, old luggage trunks, metal produce signs, and antique picture frames.

Ø  Some antiques have to be stripped, sanded, and stained in order to be restored.

v  Use a colon in a sentence before a statement that clarifies the previous statement.

Ø  I took plenty of pictures after refurbishing the antique frames: I felt as if I had accomplished something grand.

v  Use a colon when writing the time of day.  Colons are used to separate the hour, minutes, and seconds.

Ø  We left at 7:30 in the morning to go antique shopping.

v  Use a colon after the salutation of a business letter.

Ø  Dear Mr. Devonshire:

Ø  Dear Sir or Madam:

v  Use a colon between chapter and verses when referencing the Bible.

Ø  John 3:16

v  Use a colon between titles and subtitles.

Ø  Antiques: A How-To Guide

Using Commas Correctly

Commas

v  Use a comma to separate three or more items listed in a series.  Items can be words, phrases, and clauses.

Ø  The leaves change brilliantly into reds, yellows, oranges, and browns.

Ø  I plan to travel New England to see autumn’s arrival, eat at local spots, and visit quaint bookstores.

Ø  I have no idea how long it will take, when I will be leaving, or when I will be back.

v  Use a comma to separate two or more adjective preceding a noun.

Ø  I want to see the sun rise through the misty, gray dawn.

Ø  This wonderful, adventurous trip can be blamed on the picture in the opening credits of Gilmore Girls.

v  Use a comma to show a pause after an introductory word and to set off names used in a direct address.

Ø  First, I must purchase road maps.

Ø  Tonya, are you planning on traveling with me?

v  Use a comma after two or more introductory prepositional phrases, when the prepositional phrase is very long, or when the commas is needed to make the meaning clear.  You do not have to use a comma after a short prepositional phrase.

Ø  In the fall of 2014, I plan to spend a week photographing New England’s autumn foliage.

v  Use a comma after an introductory participle and an introductory participial phrase.

Ø  Frequented by many overnight visitors, small towns in New England are famous for their bed-and-breakfast style inns.

v  Use a comma after conjunctive adverbs such as however, moreover, furthermore, nevertheless, and therefore.

Ø  I only plan to take three suitcases; however, I will leave one empty for my souvenirs and shopping.

v  Use a comma to set off an appositive if it is not essential to the meaning of the sentence.  If the appositive phrase is needed, you do not use a comma.

Ø  Gilmore Girls, a television series, was set in Stars Hollow.

Ø  Loreli’s friend Sookie St. James was one of my favorite characters.

v  Use a comma before and, or, or but when it joins main clauses.

Ø  Luke Danes is one of the best known characters, but Emily Gilmore is my favorite.

Ø  I would love to see the cast do a reunion show, or maybe they could do a movie.

v  Use a comma after an introductory adverb clause.  Adverb clauses begin with subordinating conjunctions, such as after, although, as, because, before, considering (that), if, in order that, since, so that, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether, or while.  Do not use a comma with an adverb that comes at the end of a sentence.

Ø  When I visited Lewiston, New York, I was excited to see so much about the Underground Railroad.

Ø  Because I forgot my camera, I left New York without any photographs of Old Fort Niagara.

v  Use commas to set off an adjective clause that is not essential to the meaning of a sentence.  An adjective clause is essential when it is necessary to the meaning of the sentence because it gives some extra information.  They often begin with who, whom, whose, which, or that.  Do not use a comma to separate an essential clause from the sentence.  Adjective clauses that help determine meaning are essential.

Ø  Star’s Hollow, which is not far from Hartford, is a fictional New England town.

Ø  Star’s Hollow is a fictional New England town that is not far from Hartford.

v  Use commas to set off parenthetical expressions.  A parenthetical expression is a comment or phrase that gives information about an idea or shows a relationship between ideas.

Ø  Small towns, generally speaking, have eclectic characters.

Ø  In my opinion, eclectic people make for great adventures.

v  Use commas before and after the year when it is used with both the month and the day.  If only the month and the year are given, do not use a comma.

Ø  The show first aired on October 5, 2000, and lasted for seven years.

Ø  The show ended in May 2007 and is now in syndication.

v  Use commas before and after the name of a state or a country when it is used with the name of a city, but not when it is used with the ZIP code.

Ø  Star’s Hollow is based on the city of Washington Depot, Connecticut.

Ø  The address for the Mayflower Inn and Spa is as follows: 118 Woodbury Road, Route 47, Washington, CT 06793.

v  Use a comma or pair of commas to set off an abbreviated title or degree following a person’s name.

Ø  Mr. Richard Gilmore is Loreli’s father.

Ø  Paris wants to graduate Harvard Medical School as Dr. Paris Geller, M.D.

v  Use a comma or commas to emphasize too in the middle of a sentence when it means “also.”

Ø  I, too, would love to work at the Dragonfly Inn.

v  Use commas when there is a break in direct quotations.

Ø   “Excuse me Edgar Bergen,” said Jess, “I think I’d like Charlie McCarthy to answer now.”

v  Use a comma after the salutation and closing of a friendly letter, and after the closing of a business letter.

Ø  Dear Christopher,

Ø  Your friend,

Ø  Sincerely,

Punctuation - Periods and End Marks

Periods and End Marks

v  Use a period at the end of a declarative sentence.  A declarative sentence makes a statement.

Ø  This time of year, I love to see the leaves changing colors.

v  Use a period at the end of an imperative sentence that does not express strong feeling.  An imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request.

Ø  Please gather some apples for baking.

v  Use a question mark at the end of an interrogative sentence.  An interrogative sentence asks a question.

Ø  Don’t you enjoy the crisp cool feel of autumn air?

v  Use an exclamation point at the end of an exclamatory sentence or a strong imperative sentence.  An exclamatory sentence expresses strong feelings and an imperative sentence gives a command or makes a request.

Ø  I love autumn!

v  Use an exclamation point after an interjection.  Interjections are words or groups of words that express strong emotions and feelings.

Ø  Yeah!  I even get to watch the Steelers play!

v  Use a period after an abbreviation.  Abbreviations are shortened forms of words or phrases.

Ø  Mr. Washington enjoys home-made apple pies, but Mrs. Washington enjoys hot spiced apple cider.

Ø  The orchard doesn’t open until 7:00 A.M.