• Showing a Trailing-Off Thought – When a speaker’s voice or a writer’s

thought trails off into silence, ellipses can be used to represent this effect.
This can be useful in dialogue or in first-person narratives. For example: “I
thought I knew him, but now… I’m not so sure.”

2. Exclamation Marks (!)

Exclamation marks are used to express strong emotion, surprise or
emphasis. They are a powerful tool, but remember to use them sparingly
in formal writing to maintain a professional tone. Overuse of exclamation
marks can make the writing seem overly emotional or immature.
• Example 1 – Expressing Strong Emotion: “I can’t believe we won the
game!”
• Example 2 – Signifying Surprise: “What a beautiful sunset!”
• Example 3 – Indicating Emphasis: “You must not go there!”

3. Question Marks (?) Question marks are used at the end of direct
questions, prompting the reader to consider a response. However, we can
also use them to create rhetorical questions where no answer is expected,
often to make a point or stimulate thought.
• Example 1 – Direct Question: “Will you be attending the party?”
• Example 2 – Rhetorical Question: “Is this the best we can do?”

Punctuation for Effect 4. Dashes (-)

Punctuation does more than just clarify the meaning of a text. We can use it to
create particular moods or convey specific effects, such as suspense, surprise or 1. To set off material for emphasis. dashes indicate that the reader should pay
emphasis. more attention to the material between the dashes. Dashes add drama—
parentheses whisper. Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways:
Learning these techniques can make your writing more dynamic and engaging. A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence.

• Example: After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized

1. Ellipses (…) Ellipses
it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth—Ireland.
Ellipses have a variety of purposes within sentences, including the indication of
• Example: “The Office”—a harmless television program or a
omitted (left out) words, creating suspense or showing a trailing-off thought.
dangerously subversive guide to delinquency in the workplace?
• Indicating Omitted Words – If you are quoting a text and want to shorten
• Example: The fairgrounds—cold and wet in the October rain—
it or focus on a specific part, ellipses can be used to indicate that some
were deserted.
words have been left out. For example, an original quote: “She had a
vibrant, sparkling and infectious laugh” might be shortened to “She had a…
infectious laugh”. 2. To indicate sentence introductions or conclusions. You can sometimes use a
• Creating Suspense – Ellipses can be used to create suspense by indicating dash to help readers see that certain words are meant as an introduction or
an unfinished thought or a pause before the final part of the sentence. This conclusion to your sentence.
can make the reader eager to find out what comes next. For example: “She
Example: Books, paper, pencils—many students lacked even the simplest
opened the door, and then… silence.”
tools for learning in nineteenth-century America.
3. To mark “bonus phrases.” Phrases that add information or clarify but are not 7. Apostrophe ‘
necessary to the meaning of a sentence are ordinarily set off with commas. But
when the phrase itself already contains one or more commas, dashes can help An apostrophe has two main functions.
readers understand the sentence.
1) An apostrophe shows that a letter (or letters) has been omitted from a word in a
Slightly confusing example with commas: Even the simplest tasks, washing,
contraction.
dressing, and going to work, were nearly impossible after I broke my leg.
Examples
Better example with dashes: Even the simplest tasks—washing, dressing,
and going to work—were nearly impossible after I broke my leg.
• It’s (it is) not ready yet. Come back later.
• I’d (I would) be happier if you did it without being asked.
4. To break up dialogue. In written dialogue, if a speaker suddenly or abruptly stops
speaking, hesitates in speech, or is cut off by another speaker, a dash can indicate
2) An apostrophe is used to make a noun possessive.
the pause or interruption.

Example: “I—I don’t know what you’re talking about,” denied the Examples
politician.
• Chicago’s winters are very cold and severe.
Example: Mimi began to explain herself, saying, “I was thinking—” “I don’t • The dog’s feet are muddy.
care what you were thinking,” Rodolpho interrupted.
8. Brackets (US)/Square Brackets (UK) […]

5. Colons
Brackets are used to explain or add information to something in a sentence or
quotation.
Colons follow independent clauses (clauses that could stand alone as sentences)
Examples
and can be used to present an explanation, draw attention to something, or join
ideas together. • The car retails for $16,995 [396,523,941 Vietnamese dong].
• The play quotes frequently from the Mahabharata [an ancient
• To announce, introduce, or direct attention to a list, a noun or noun phrase, Indian epic poem].
a quotation, or an example/explanation. • The president said: “We’re going to need to hire OOP [object-
oriented programming] experts in the next year.”
• To join sentences.
• To express time, in titles, and as part of other writing conventions.
9. Parentheses (…)
Parentheses show that the material inside the parentheses is less important than
6. Semicolons the main part of the sentence. Often you can replace them with commas, but
parentheses make the material seem less important.
Here are the two most common uses of the semicolon: Examples
• To help separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain • The world’s leading automakers (Toyota, Volkswagen, and
commas. General Motors) are all pursuing hybrid technology.
• To join two sentences • Jennifer’s cat (an angora) is very friendly.
• Germany’s decision to invade the Soviet Union (in 1941) led to
disaster.