1. Dashes & Ellipsis
Punctuation

2. DASHES
DASH: Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought or speech. EXAMPLE: It’s your turn—even though it is your birthday—to do the dishes. Use dashes sparingly – if you use them too much, they will lose their effect. Notice the quick change of thought in the example sentence that is set off by dashes.

3. Dashes PRACTICE
Insert a carat ^ where dashes are needed in the sentences below:
1. We found the perfect gift Mother will love it to give her on her birthday.
2. I can’t believe even though I’ve seen it that we actually found it.
3. Aren’t you surprised I know I am I thought of it first?
4. Let’s not tell Dad he won’t believe it anyway until she opens the box.
5. Can you keep a secret it’s hard to do, I know until next Monday?

4. ELLIPSIS
Ellipsis: (...) three dots used for a pause or to show that words have been left out, to create a long pause for suspense, or to show that a thought is trailing off. Ellipsis is one series of three dots (…) and Ellipses is plural, or the use of more than one series of three dots.

5. ELLIPSIS
1. Use an ellipsis to show an omission, or leaving out, of a word or words in a quote. Use ellipses to shorten the quote without changing the meaning. For example: "After school I went to her house, which was a few blocks away, and then came home." Shorten the quote by replacing a few words with an ellipsis. Remember, the meaning of the quote should not change. "After school I went to her house … and then came home." We removed the words "which was a few blocks away" and replaced them with an ellipsis without changing the meaning of the original quote.

6. ELLIPSIS
2. Use an ellipsis to show a pause in a thought or to create suspense.
(Suspense is when a reader is excited to know what is going to happen next.)
Examples:   
She opened the door and saw a cake!
I was thinking maybe we should call home.
This use of ellipses is very common in informal (friendly) letters and s.

7. ELLIPSIS
3. Use an ellipsis to show a break, or trailing off, of a thought. Examples: I know I saw my keys somewhere "I'm not sure what to do . . .," he said. I never thought . . .