Punctuation Practice (Part Two)

Dashes  (—)

Use dashes to show a sudden change in thought in a sentence. Note: In AP style, dashes have a single space on each side between words. In MLA style, however, the dash does not get a space on either side. Hint: On a PC, hold "alt" while typing "0151" to create a dash. On a Mac, press "shift," "option" and the hyphen key at the same time to create a dash. 
Smith offered a plan — it was unprecedented — to raise revenues. 

Use dashes for attribution before an author's name at the end of a quotation. "Who steals my purse steals trash." — Shakespeare
Use dashes to introduce individual sections of a list.
Jones gave the following reasons:
—He never ordered the package. 
—If he did, it didn't come. 
—If it did, he sent it back.

Ellipsis  (...)

An ellipsis is used to indicate the deletion of one or more words in condensing quotes, texts and documents. Be careful not to change the meaning of sentences by using an ellipsis. Hint: The AP Stylebook says to treat an ellipsis as a three-letter word, constructed with three periods and two spaces. Also, when using AP style, never begin a quote with an ellipsis. "I ... tried to do what was best," she said. 

Exclamation point  (!)

We all know how to use exclamation points, but please, do us all a favor and avoid overusing them. The frequent use of exclamation points seems juvenile, and people won't take you seriously. 

Hyphen  (-)

Not to be confused with a dash, a hyphen is considered a "joiner." Use them to avoid ambiguity or to form a single idea from two or more words.
a first-quarter touchdown
The children are soft-spoken.
socio-economic
Italian-American

Semicolon  (;)

The AP Stylebook says a semicolon represents a greater separation of thought and information than a comma can convey but less than a period implies.

Use a semicolon to clarify a series.
She is survived by a daughter, Jill Smith; three sons, Mark Smith, John Smith, and Luke Smith; and a sister, Susan Smith.

Use a semicolon to link independent clauses.
The package was due in a week; it arrived yesterday.