Dashes and Parentheses

His handwriting it resembled my mother’s was almost indecipherable.

• No change
• handwriting it—resembled my mother’s—
• handwriting—it resembled my mother’s)
• handwriting—it resembled my mother’s—

Hollow-horned animals—oxen, sheep, antelope, belong to the family of bovidae.

• No change
• animals, oxen, sheep, antelope, belong
• animals—oxen, sheep, antelope—
• –animals oxen, sheep, antelope—

Bills are printed in sheets of thirty-two, (four columns across, eight rows down).

• No change
• thirty-two (four columns across, eight rows down).
• thirty-two—(four columns across, eight rows down).
• thirty-two (four columns across, eight rows down.

I am going to order twenty-four 24 new chairs for the classroom.

• No change
• twenty-four—24 new chairs
• twenty-four—(24)—new chairs
• twenty-four (24) new chairs

I want to tell them that some dreams are about fears, and lucky for me, lucky for them fears can be overcome.

• No change
• and—lucky for me—lucky for them,
• and—lucky for me—lucky for them—
• and—lucky for me, lucky for them—

The next ingredient and this is what gives this dish its distinctive flavor is ground cumin.

• No change
• ingredient--and this is what gives this dish--
• ingredient and--this is what give this dish its distinctive--flavor
• ingredient--and this is what gives this dish its distinctive flavor--is ground cumin.

The contents of the shopping bag four coffee mugs wrapped in tissue paper, a pepper mill, and three large cookbooks spilled onto the sidewalk.

• No change
• (four coffee mugs wrapped in tissue paper, a pepper mill, and three large cookbooks)
• shopping bag--four coffee mugs wrapped in tissue paper
• contents (of the shopping bag) four coffee mugs