Ellipses and dashes

Ellipses and dashes

Multiple Choice

Which of the following MOST EFFECTIVELY uses a dash and ellipses?

• The agency’s administrator, Sean O’Keefe, canceled what was to be the final Hubble servicing mission...--it was too risky.

• The agency’s administrator... canceled what was to be the final Hubble servicing mission--it was too risky.

• ...Sean O’Keefe canceled what was to be the final Hubble servicing mission on the grounds that--it was too risky.

Multiple Choice

You're ARGUING with your sibling about why they are being unfair. Which statement uses the most accurate punctuation to convey your frustration?

• You say, "But wait--that's not fair!"

• You say, "But wait... that's not fair..."

• You say, "But wait... that's not fair!"

• You say, "But wait that's not fair--"

Multiple Choice

You are THOUGHTFULLY PAUSING for an answer to a question in class. Which of the following uses dashes/ellipses best to convey this situation?

• You say, "Hmmmm... The answer might be D."

• You say, "The answer is--D!"

• You say, "Hmmm--the answer is D..."

Multiple Choice

Which of the following shows the most correct use of dashes?

• The Hubble Telescope had been almost canceled at least twice and then delayed following the explosion of the shuttle Challenger in 1986.

• The Hubble Telescope had been almost canceled at least twice--and then delayed--following the explosion of the shuttle Challenger in 1986.

• The Hubble Telescope--had been almost canceled at least twice and then delayed following the explosion of the shuttle Challenger in 1986.

Multiple Choice

Which option is more correct for using dashes?

• ...it’s 25 years in space and counting for the Hubble Space Telescope which has had a perilous existence--political storms, physical calamities, and time.

• --it’s 25 years in space and counting for the Hubble Space Telescope which has had a perilous existence... political storms, physical calamities, and time.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is FALSE about ELLIPSES

• Ellipses indicated you've omitted words or information

• Ellipses indicate a pause in speech

• Ellipses consist of 3 sequential periods

• Ellipses are for hiding information

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT a function of the dash?

• Interrupt sentence structure

• A pair of dashes acts like parenthesis

• A dash can be used like a colon

• A dash omits information