Dashes and Ellipses

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

Tags

CCSS.L.6.2A

CCSS.L.8.2A

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

Tags

CCSS.L.8.2A

CCSS.L.8.2B

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.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.2A

CCSS.L.8.2A

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.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.2A

CCSS.L.8.2A

When using ellipses, you want to be sure you DO NOT CHANGE the meaning of the sentence. Which of the two uses ellipses without changing the sentence meaning?

• The Hubble’s camera records in black and white... Then the different layers are assigned whatever colors look good to the eye and best show off the underlying astrophysics rather than their natural colors.

• The Hubble’s camera records in black and white, through filters that isolate the characteristic light from different atoms, such as... whatever colors look good to the eye and best show off the underlying astrophysics rather than their natural colors.

Tags

CCSS.L.8.2A

CCSS.L.8.2B

Which sentence demonstrates effective use of ellipses and still retains its meaning?

• It was the kind of mistake, known as a spherical aberration, that an amateur astronomer might make... to the disbelief and then the dismay of the engineers and contractors working for NASA.

• It was the kind of mistake... that an amateur astronomer might make...

• It was the kind of mistake, known as a spherical aberration...

Tags

CCSS.L.8.2A

CCSS.L.8.2B

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.

Tags

CCSS.L.6.2A

CCSS.L.8.2A

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--"

Tags

CCSS.L.8.2A

CCSS.L.8.2B

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..."

Tags

CCSS.L.6.2A

CCSS.L.8.2A