Study GuideGrammar–Dashes, Parentheses, and Quotation Marks1.What Are Dashes and ParenthesesDashes and parentheses are punctuation marks thatinterrupt a sentenceto add extra information.They can help clarify your writing or provide additional details without breaking the flow completely.•Dashes (—)often create emphasis or a dramatic pause.•Parentheses ( )usually include supplementary information that is less essential to the mainsentence.•Brackets [ ]are used only when adding your own wordsinside parenthesesorwithin aquotationto clarify or comment.1.1Use Them SparinglyBeginning writers sometimes overuse dashes or parentheses, which can make writing feel clutteredor confusing. Good writing is usuallydirect and well-organized, so these marks should be usedonlywhen necessary.2.Uses of the DashA dash (—) is a punctuation mark thatsignals an interruption or emphasizes a point. It can bemore dramatic than a comma and less formal than a colon. Dashes are versatile, but they should beusedpurposefully and sparingly.2.1. Indicating InterruptionsUse a dash when you want to interrupt a sentence with a phrase or clause.•Single dash:interrupts the sentence once.She was extraordinarily tall—the tallest woman I'd ever seen.•Pair of dashes:encloses an interruption in the middle of a sentence.She walked in—the tallest woman I'd ever seen—and took a seat at the counter.Preview Mode
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