| Punctuation Mark |
Looks Like |
Used For |
| colon |
:
|
 |
in a greeting of a business letter |
|
after numerals showing time, volume, or page |
|
to show a list or statement is to follow |
|
| semicolon |
;
|
|
between two independent clauses joined as a compound sentence without a coordinate conjunction or joined by a conjunctive adverb |
|
between items in a series if the items already contain commas |
|
| dash |
-
|
|
to indicate a change in thought |
|
to indicate a parenthetical expression |
|
| ellipsis |
...
|
|
to show a pause in dialog |
|
to replace one or more words left out of a quote |
|
|
parentheses
|
( )
|
|
around a parenthetical expression (=words included to add information or make and idea clearer that are not needed for the basic sentence) |
|
|
brackets
|
[ ]
|
|
around material a writer adds when quoting someone else |
|
