The Function of Prepositions s2

The Use of Other Punctuation Marks in Written English Reference Sheet

Ellipses for Omissions

1. Use ellipses marks to indicate omissions in quotations. Do not place spaces before or after the ellipsis marks. For example:

President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the nation, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941...the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by...the Empire of Japan."

Place periods, question marks, and exclamation marks directly after the ellipses with omissions at the end of quotations. For example:

President Franklin Roosevelt addressed the nation, "Yesterday, December 7, 1941...the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked...."

Ellipses to Indicate Pauses and Interruptions in Speech

2. Use ellipses to indicate pauses and interruptions in speech. For example:

The little girl told Santa, "I want a doll, a bike, play food, candy canes...but I really want a little brother."

Single Quotation Marks with Quotation Marks

3. Use single quotation marks to enclose direct quotations inside direct quotations. For example,

Cornelia Funke introduces the character Snapper in Inkdeath with a dark joke: "Snapper emerged from the darkness and went over to the child. 'Yes, go on, take a good look!' he whispered to the little girl. 'That's really him—the Bluejay! He eats children like you for supper.'"

Single Quotation Marks with Translations

4. Use single quotation marks for the translation of a foreign word of phrase. Double quotation marks can also be used to enclose translations. For example:

Café au lait 'coffee with milk' is a French coffee drink popularized in America by New Orleans. The Use of Other Punctuation Marks in Written English 2

Slashes to Separate Alternatives

5. Use slashes to separate alternatives. Do not place spaces before or after the slash. For example:

Please buy ice cream and/or frozen yogurt.

Use hyphens to join alternatives that precede and describe nouns. For example:

I particularly enjoy the Tolkien-Lewis variety of fantasy literature.

Slashes to Represent the Word Per

6. Use slashes to represent the word per. Do not place spaces before or after the slash. For example: miles/hour (miles per hour)

Slashes with Abbreviations

7. Use slashes with certain abbreviations. For example: w/o (without)

Slashes to Indicate Line Breaks

8. Use slashes to indicate line breaks in poetry in quotations of less than four lines. Use colons and block quotations to quote four or more lines of poetry. Place a single space before and after the slash. For example:

Edgar Allen Poe begins "The Raven" with an eerie description of a man in a library: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary, / Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore..."

Slashes in Fractions

9. Use slashes to separate numerators and denominators in numerical fractions. Do not place spaces before or after the slash. For example:

1/2 The Use of Other Punctuation Marks in Written English 3

Slashes with Dates

10. Use slashes to divide the month, day, and year in the informal representations of dates. For example:

12/25/10

Interrobangs to Ask Questions with Excitement or Disbelief

11. Use interrobangs (?!) to ask question with excitement or disbelief. The interrobang combines the functions of question marks and exclamation marks. For example:

You paid how much for that haircut?!