1. Hyphens, Ellipses, Parenthesis, & Dashes
The Brenham Writing Room
Created by D. Herring

2. Hyphen - A hyphen is used to
Join words that together form a compound adjective placed before a noun.
I have one sixteen-year-old student.
Michael Jackson had a very high-profile court case.
Write out numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.
Seventy-five students turned in an essay.
Show a word break at the end of a line.
Only break between syllables. Ex: stu-dent

3. Ellipses . . .
Use ellipses to indicate that info has been left out in a quotation.
Original Passage: I knew that the places I wanted to go on vacation, such as Hawaii or Jamaica, I couldn’t afford. -Ms. Pickett
Ms. Pickett told us, “I knew that the places I wanted to go on vacation I couldn’t afford.”
When using ellipses, leave a space before and after each period.

4. Parenthesis ( )
Use parenthesis to set off extra information that is not essential.
My dog’s favorite toy (a stuffed alligator) is lying out in the yard.
You should generally avoid using parenthesis in academic writing.

5. Dashes — A dash is created by hitting the hyphen key twice.
Do not put extra space around a dash.
Use a dash to set off words for emphasis or to indicate a pause.
The final exam—worth 15% of your final grade—will be next Thursday.
There will be no make up exam—no exceptions—for this course.