COLONS, DASHES, HYPHENS, AND PARENTHESES
1. A colon (:) is used at the end of a complete thought to introduce a list, an explanation, or a formal quotation.
(Do not use a colon if the list or explanation is connected to the sentence without a complete stop.)
To repair this truck, we need the following parts: a radiator hose and a head gasket.
This amplifier is not worth repairing: the required replacement parts cost too much.
Lincoln's "Gettysburg Address" begins with these words: "Four score and seven years ago."
The three students who scored 100 were Josh, Belinda, and Sara. (No stop, so no colon needed.)
2. A dash (--) indicates a dramatic pause or special emphasis. Dashes are used to emphasize information that
interrupts the flow of the sentence. A dash can also be used to highlight a special comment or shift in
meaning at the end of a sentence. A dash is also found before a summarizing phrase or clause that follows a
list. Study the following examples:
Three prominent citizens--Edwin Wilkes, Tom Smith, and Roberta Marsh--were elected to the board.
I knew the material perfectly--until test day.
Math, English, psychology, communications--I have a busy schedule this quarter.
3. A hyphen (-) is used to join two or more words together that are being used to describe a noun. It is also used
in some compound words and with some prefixes (all-, ex-, self-) and suffixes. It is used with numbers and
to divide a word between syllables at the end of a line. Study the following examples:
We were delayed by a slow-moving train. My impatient sister-in-law was really upset.
All twenty-one students in my math class appeared to be self-motivated.
Everyone was supposed to read pages 24-94 over the weekend.
4. Parentheses ( ) are used to set off information that is useful (or helpful) but not essential to the meaning of
the sentence. Study the following examples:
Chapter Four (pages 123-156) is one of the most difficult we will study this quarter.
I have seen many changes (most of them for the better) at Sinclair during the last ten years.
Note: As you read, notice when writers use colons, dashes, hyphens, and parentheses (as well as other marks of
punctuation). If you do not understand why a writer is using one or the other of these, show the example to your
instructor for an explanation. Good writers use punctuation to emphasize and clarify. They have reasons
(beyond just being aware of rules) for punctuating the way they do just as they have reasons for using certain
words and sentence structures.