Commas Dashes and Ellipses

The principal walked into the classroom and pointed at Michael . . . it wasn't until they were in the principal's office that Michael found out why.

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time to create suspense

• an unfinished thought

• to show words missing from a quotation

"There are only a few ingredients in the croissant . . . by far the most tricky is the butter."

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time to create suspense

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Evan pressed the doorbell and waited . . . and waited . . .

Why is the ellipsis used in this sentence?

• passage of time to create suspense

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

I was hoping that we might . . . well, in the end, I guess, it didn't matter what I hoped because it wasn't meant to be.

• passage of time

• an unfinished thought

• missing words from a quotation

Margaret who has been my best friend for, like, forever is the best candidate.

What punctuation mark should be used to emphasize the words in bold print?

• dashes

• commas

• ellipses

My cell phone in its blue case seems to vanish into my backpack whenever it rings.

Which punctuation mark should be used to set off the nonessential words in bold print?

• commas

• dashes

• ellipses

My friend my best friend is from Kansas.

Which punctuation mark should be used to emphasize the words in bold print?

• commas

• dashes

• ellipses

"He stepped forward, his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway_____and then silence."

Which punctuation should go in the blank to create suspense?

• comma

• dash

• ellipsis

He is afraid of two things ___ spiders and senior prom.

What punctuation mark should be used in the blank?

• dash

• comma

• ellipsis

Ms. Frazier ____ my favorite teacher ___ teaches

English at Schofield Middle School.

What punctuation marks should go in the blanks if the additional information is not essential to the sentence tone or meaning?

• dashes

• ellipses

• commas