Tommy can't wait for Christmas-he's very excited. to show other kinds of break in a sentence where a comma, semicolon, or colon would be traditionally used.Many birds-do you like birds?-can be seen outside the window. to mark off information that is not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence.There are two main occasions on which a dash can be used, usually in informal writing:
He collects eighteenth- and nineteenth-century vases. The novel is clearly intended to be a post- Marxist work. There are three main cases where you should use them: Hyphens are used to link words and parts of words. We didn't think about the consequences of our actions. I'm afraid the pie isn't suitable for vegetarians. We took a day trip to the Gibsons' house. There are two main cases where apostrophes are used: The headline read: ‘Local Woman Saves Geese’. before a quotation, and sometimes before direct speech:.The cost of the room included the following: breakfast, dinner, and Wi-Fi. between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the first:.The film was a critical success its lead actors were particularly praised. It’s used between two main clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences.
The semicolon is most commonly used to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop. Using commas to mark off parts of a sentence ( Her best friend, Eliza, sang for a living.).As we had already arrived, we were reluctant to wait.) Using commas to separate clauses (e.g.There are four common occasions on which commas are necessary follow the links for more information. and is open all day.Ī comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. in some abbreviations, for example etc., Jan., or a.m.:.