English Punctuation. Dashes and Parentheses

English Punctuation. Dashes and Parentheses.
Dashes and parentheses indicate an “aside” to the point you are making in your sentence. Although sometimes considered interchangeable, each serves a specific purpose in your writing. Dashes interrupt your writing to insert an interjection or pause, while parentheses gently add information to your point. A word of caution: although parentheses can be used throughout all writing genres, dashes are rarely used in formal academic research. Dashes are more common in fiction writing and in more casual texts. Another word of caution: make sure that you are introducing relevant additional information with your dashes or parentheses and that it is not just added for fluff. Strive to be clean and clear in your writing.
In this handout, we have provided some guidelines for using each punctuation mark.
An em dash—inserted by typing Control+Alt+Minus between the words it separates—signals an abrupt break in thought. It can be seen as “surprising” the reader with information. If used judiciously it can mark a longer, more dramatic pause and provide more emphasis than a comma can. If overused, it creates an impression of haste and carelessness and can diminish cohesion in your paragraphs. Em dashes are useful in early drafts to capture thoughts and afterthoughts, but in revising you may need to delete them in favor of punctuation marks that better express your ideas, such as commas (see our handout on Commas for more information). Think carefully before peppering your papers with them. If you wish to use dashes effectively here are some guidelines:
If the main sentence resumes, a second dash is needed. Don’t allow a comma to substitute for the second dash, and be sure that your sentence would make sense if the part without the dashes were omitted:
Example: The actors bowed—except for the horse—knowing they blew everyone away!
If the main sentence resumes, a second dash is needed. Don’t allow a comma to substitute for the second dash, and be sure that your sentence would make sense if the part without the dashes were omitted:
Example: The actors bowed—except for the horse—knowing they blew everyone away!
Don’t combine dashes with other punctuation marks:
Inappropriate: They acquired several horses at the fair, —a winner, a loser, and a beer-drinking mare.
Appropriate: They acquired several horses at the fair—a winner, a loser, and a beer drinking mare.
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence:
Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence.
Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue:
Example: “Help! This horse is going too fast,” the actor yelled. “I think I am fall—.”
Parentheses also signify a break in thought, but they mark an addition of information rather than an interruption like dashes do. Rather than a surprise (like dashes), parentheses are a gentler insertion in your sentence. Also like dashes, parentheses should be used sparingly. Too many can break the clarity and flow of your ideas. Another thing to keep in mind is that they are often seen as casual in tone, so make sure they are appropriate for the style of writing you are using. If not, punctuation marks such as commas are often more academically appropriate.
If you wish to use parentheses effectively here are some guidelines:
Parentheses can be used to set off incidental information such as numbers, dates, examples, and references:
Example: The show will run for a staggering seventeen (17) weekends.
Example: A recent study examined wellness practices among Kentucky Derby winning jockeys (Calamine, 2012).
Example: The use of “human” as a noun (“Humans are sentient beings”) has been criticized.
No mark of punctuation should ever precede a parentheses, but you can use punctuation after the closing parentheses if necessary. The rule is that the parentheses shouldn’t affect the punctuation of the main statement:
Example: After several weeks of exercises (memory and voice), he finally began to feel competent.
If the enclosed matter is the last part of the sentence, the period comes after the parentheses, as in the next example:
Example: Horses should be regarded as assets (but only the working kind).
Like dashes, parentheses can be overused, as in:
Example: Though making a production about a winning horse has its dilemmas (having the space and the janitors necessary) and the normal problems expected in any play (big egos, emotional cast, and a low budget), it is an immense satisfaction to make it happen.
Dashes and parentheses are great tools to use when you need to add additional information in your sentences. However, keep in mind that they must be used judiciously, and sparingly. If used too often they can complicate the flow of your sentences, which can confuse your reader. Almost any instance of a dash or parentheses is going to be “fluff” or unnecessary, so it is up to you to decide whether the information you want to add is worth the risk of cluttering up your sentences. Since dashes are more informal, they are quite common in texting, emails, letters or other personal writing. Unless your instructor tells you to use them, they are usually not appropriate for formal writing. However, there is one exception. Dashes work well when you writing a conversation. Since people often shift their thoughts as they speak, a dash can show this more clearly than a comma. Just as Juan was leaving for the wedding, Sherry called out, "Don't forget to pick up Grandma--or wait, I'll pick her up and you go get the cake. No--forget that-- I'll pick up the cake and you get Grandma and the flowers for the reception. However, in a formal essay, none of the above examples is really the best way to say this information. Instead, try moving the information around to emphasize the contrast and using a transition word like "although." There isn't a standard list of words that use a hyphen. Why is that? Hyphens are used to make reading a word easier, and sometimes words that started out as hyphenated will eventually become a single word. Moreover, different manuals of style have different rules for using hyphens. Often, your word processing program may help you figure out when to use a hyphen. If not, consult a dictionary.
Hi Pennypines--I acutally got interested in doing this Hub because on the last two sets of essays I graded, I found myself telling so many of my students they needed hyphens on this word and that. So I consulted about ten different style manuals, only to find out that the one thing they all agreed on was that there was not hard-and-fast rule for hyphens (see! I just had to insert that one!). Moreover, they seem to be disappearing as people do more and more online writing. Having studied the history of how English has changed, I'm actually not adverse to change. However, I do want language to be clear and understandable!