w88 online casino

Contributors: Jake Trujillo

Single-quotation (‘) vs. double-quotation (“) marks

Direct quotes

Use double quotation marks to offset a direct quote.

• Tillman experienced “an extraordinary feeling of joy” as he danced with Rosie.

Use single quotation marks to offset a quote within a quote; they should never be used beyond a direct quote.

• “Tillman experienced ‘an extraordinary feeling of joy’ as he danced with Rosie.”

Brackets [ ] vs. parentheses ( )

Interjections

Like single quotation marks, brackets should only be used within direct quotations. Use brackets to offset explanations or comments that interrupt the original quote.

• Elizabeth explained, “Melissa [her neighbor] came over earlier with free Girl Scout cookies.”

Additional information

Whereas brackets are w88 casinoused to enclose interruptions within a quote, parentheses are used to enclose additional information in expressions that are not quoted.

• Melissa (Elizabeth’s neighbor) came over with free Girl Scout cookies.

Commas (,) vs. semicolons (;)

Compound sentences

Use a comma and a coordinating conjunction to join two independent clauses together.

• The student continued to do his homework after dinner, and he hoped to finish before bed.

Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses together without a coordinating conjunction.

• The student continued to do his homework after dinner; he hoped to finish before bed.

Be careful to distinguish conjunctive adverbs (e.g. therefore, however, or otherwise) from coordinating conjunctions (e.g. and, but, or yet): semicolons introduce adverbs that precede the second independent clause, whereas commas introduce coordinating conjunctions.

• Conjunctive adverb example: The student continued to do his homework after dinner; however, he did not finish before bed.
• Coordinating conjunction example: The student continued to do his homework after dinner, but he did not finish before bed.

Units in a series

In a series of units/items, separate each unit/item with a comma.

• Skylar visited London, Manchester, and Dublin while in the UK.

However, if commas are used to separate multiple items within a single unit, use semicolons to separate each unit in a series.

• Skylar visited London, Manchester, and Dublin in the UK; Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in Northern Europe; and Germany, Austria, and Hungary in Eastern Europe.

Semicolons (;) vs. colons (:)

Amplification

Use a colon to introduce a unit or a series of units/items. Keep in mind that colons can attach an independent clause and a dependent clause (e.g. a series) as long as the independent clause comes before the colon. Semicolons cannot attach a dependent clause to an independent clause.

• One country borders Denmark: Germany.
• Nine countries border Germany: Denmark, Poland, w88 online casinothe Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Whereas semicolons conjoin two related independent clauses, colons conjoin two clauses that are even more closely related.  Use a colon to attach an independent clause that amplifies or provides further explanation of the main clause.

• The dog was confused: he could not find the ball his owner had just thrown.
• The sign displayed a clear message: “Beware of dog.”

Hyphens (-) vs. dashes (—)

Compound terms and numerals

Use hyphens to conjoin multiple words into a unit. Modifiers (e.g. adjectives) that are conjoined with hyphens function together rather than individually.

• The part-time employee
• The editor-in-chief ‘s office

Use hyphens to conjoin numbers, including fractions, into a unit.  

• Seventy-two
• One-third

Range

Use hyphens to indicate a range between quantities (e.g. time or distance).

• 1996-2017
• 15-20 miles

Interruptions

Use em dashes to indicate an interruption or change in thought.

• w88 live casinoThe University of Nevada, Reno—Nevada’s first land-grant institution—was originally established in Elko in 1874, but relocated to Reno in 1886.
• w88 live casinoThe University of Nevada, Reno campus looks cohesive—even the new buildings have brick exteriors that coordinate with older buildings.