Other Punctuations
Dash: Dashes are two hyphens used next to each other. A dash is more formal than a comma and less formal than a colon. It precedes a subordinate clause, and often links two ideas or sentences together.
Example: In business writing, your aim -- if you want to improve -- should be to pay close attention to details.
Quotation marks: These are used to quote someone directly or to indicate titles of books, poems, stories, etc. Sometimes quotation marks are used to convey irony or sarcasm as well. Quotation marks are used in additional ways, such as when someone wants to emphasize something she or he is writing about or is pointing out something ironic. For example:
- She thinks she looks "dorky" when she wears pink.
- He says she acted liked a "great chef on wheels" on their first date.
- She "loves" to have to fill in on graveyard after working all day.
- He "loved" her to death.
Question mark: Question marks are used while asking a question or to end a sentence of inquiry. If the question is part of a quote, then the question mark goes inside the quotation mark. If it is not part of the quote, then it goes outside. For example:
- "Will you be going to the concert?"
- Did she ask, "What time is the concert"?
Exclamation point: This mark is used when expressing surprise and great emotion; it is the equivalent of shouting verbally. The use of exclamation marks should be limited and reserved for emergencies, strong commands, or scorn. Following are some examples:
- Get out of there, now!
- Get help!
- Congratulations on your graduation!
Parentheses: These marks, to be used sparingly, go on either side of a word or phrase and are used when adding examples or words that are not directly related to the sentence. Here are some examples:
- Most of the class (my sister was there as well) left early for the holiday break.
- The car has some wonderful features (such as a GPS system and gasoline savings account) that makes it appealing.
At this point you may be thinking that there is an overwhelming number of items to look for in a document. At first glance, that may seem true. However, once you get used to the above items, it will become like second nature to scan a document looking for them. Just as you know where to use a period, at the end of sentences, abbreviations, etc., you will quickly be able to identify what is missing and fix it. Creating a professional business document will become easier once you complete this course and know what to look for.
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