Page 151 - New Grammar with a Smile 7

Em Dash (—)

The em dash is similar to commas, colons and parentheses. The em dash is used

1. in pairs, to set off extra information or ideas that are not essential to the
understanding of the rest of the sentence. For example,
y I spoke to Mr Francis—the Principal of the school—for my son’s admission.
y The question words—who, what, when, where, why and how—are used to
ask questions.

2. to show a break in the sentence. For example,

y His bathing water had to be at 31°C—not 30°C and not 32°C.
Quotation marks (‘…’)

The quotation mark is used
1. with direct quotes. For example,

y Fernandez said, ‘I love going to Goa to visit my grandmother.’
y ‘When is the next bus to Manali?’ asked the old traveller.
2. to emphasise titles of short stories and short plays. For example,

y ‘The Gift of the Magi’ was written by O Henry.
3. to emphasise a word or a phrase in a quoted text. For example,

y Richa asked, ‘Do you know what “bonjour” means in French?’

Semicolon (;)

The semicolon is used

1. between two independent clauses, when a conjunction is omitted. For example,
y Heavy snow continues; all flights and trains have been suspended.
2. in lists with internal commas. For example,

y The new store has fruits, vegetables and grocery items on the lower level;
luggage, household items and electronics on the ground floor; men’s, women’s
and children’s clothing on the second floor; and books, music and stationery on
the third floor.

Colon (:)

The colon is used

1. to introduce a list of items. For example,
y The stationery shop usually sells these items: pencils, pens, erasers and rulers.

2. between two main clauses when the second sentence explains the first.

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