Dashes Hyphens and Parentheses

sets off a dramatic interruption or abrupt change in thought

• dash

• hyphen

• parentheses

connects words and numbers

• hyphen

• dash

• parentheses

sets off dates and ideas that aren't important

• parentheses

• dash

• hyphen

a long line, sometimes shown as two short lines: --

• dash

• hyphen

• parenthesis

a shorter line, like this:

the most-improved student

• dash

• hyphen

• parenthesis

My head was pounding, so I took some fast acting medicine.

• fast-acting

• fast-acting-medicine

• acting-medicine

• NO CHANGE

The novel The Martian Chronicles has twenty two chapters.

• twenty-two

• twenty-two-chapters

• novel-The Martian Chronicles

• NO CHANGE

Add the correct hyphen(s) or dash(es) to the below sentence: 
There are fewer Italian American communities these days.

• There are fewer Italian-American communities these days.
• No change necessary.
• There are fewer Italian—American communities these days.
• There are fewer Italian —American communities these days

Which of the following options uses proper punctuation?

• The blond-haired boy loved the beach--until he was stung by a jellyfish.
• The blond--haired boy loved the beach until he was stung by a jelly-fish.
• The blond haired boy loved the beach--until he was stung--by a jellyfish.
• The blond-haired boy loved the beach--until--he was stung by a jellyfish.

Which of the following uses parentheses correctly?

• All of my life (all 12 years) has been in Georgia.
• All of my life (all 12 years has) been in Georgia.
• All (of my life) all 12 years has been in Georgia.