Intro to Punctuation for Pauses and Breaks

Punctuation for Pauses and Breaks

Using Ellipses, Hyphens, Dashes, Commas, and Parentheses

Punctuation: Pauses and Breaks

• Sometimes in your writing you will want to signal a pause.

• The pause may be in the middle of a sentence or at the end of it.

• You can use ELLIPSES, HYPHENS, DASHES, COMMAS, or PARENETHESES to cue different types of pauses

Different Types of Punctuation for Pauses

• An ellipsis ( . . . ) shows that some text has been left out, or gives a pause, a hesitation, or an incomplete thought.

• The hyphen (-) is used in some compound words.

• The dash (--) is used either to signal an interruption, or to call attention to some extra information.

• Commas (,) are used to set apart non-essential information.

• Parentheses ( ) are used to enclose information that is not necessary.

Ellipsis:
used to show a pause, hesitation, or that text has been left off

Example 1: Ava waited...and sure enough her dog came running to the door.

Example 2: "I was wondering....can you help me with this?"

Ellipsis to Show Hesitation

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• How does the meaning of the sentence change with and without an Ellipsis?

  • Example: I thought the party was nice.

    I though the party was... nice.

Often indicates an omission from a larger piece of text that is irrelevant.

Example:
Full Quote: Today, after many hours of debate, the new bill was vetoed.
Today... the new bill was vetoed.

Ellipses to Omit

Hyphen:

used in some compound words and fractions

Example 1: We measured one-half cup of butter.

Example 2: My sister-in-law hates chocolate candy.

Dash:

used to show interruption, or call attention to extra information

Example 1: The day was amazing--the best day ever--and I thank you for making it happen!

Example 2: "I thought he was--" she was saying as the door banged open.

Comma:

used to set apart non-essential information

Example 1: The score at halftime, if she remembered correctly, was 28-10.

Example 2: At 4 AM, when most people are sleeping, many hunters are entering the woods.

Parentheses:
Used to enclose information that is not necessary

Example 1:

Charles Lindbergh (1902-1974) was an aviator.

Example 2:

The liter (about 1.06 quarts) is a unit of measurement.

Multiple Choice

Which type of punctuation should be used to set off NON ESSENTIAL information?

• Comma (,)

• Ellipses (...)

• Dash (-)

Multiple Choice

Which type of punctuation should be used to show an INTERRUPTION?

• Comma (,)

• Ellipses (...)

• Dash (-)

Multiple Choice

Which type of punctuation should be used to CALL ATTENTION TO extra information?

• Comma (,)

• Ellipses (...)

• Dash (-)

Multiple Choice

Which type of punctuation should be used to show a PAUSE/HESITATION?

• Comma (,)

• Ellipses (...)

• Dash (-)