We use a hyphen inside a two-word adjective when the adjective comes before the noun it describes.Here are some examples:a two-word adjectivea well-known authora high-profile clienta long-term contractan up-to-date computer system In each of these examples, the hyphenated adjective is… Read more167. Hyphenated Adjectives

A hyphen ( – ) is a short dash used inside certain words. Compound words are two words joined together as one. doghousefiremansnowflakeEach compound word is made up of two smaller words. Some compound words are spelled with a hyphen…. Read more168. Hyphenated Compound Words

Here are three prefixes that always use a hyphen when forming words: ex, all, self Use a hyphen after the prefix -ex when ex– means “former.”ex-girlfriendex-husbandex-presidentex-governorex-sister-in-law Use a hyphen after the prefix all- when all- is modifying a noun or… Read more169. Use a Hyphen With Certain Prefixes

A dash ( – ) looks like a hyphen. A hyphen is used inside of words. A dash is used between parts of a sentence. Use a dash when you want to show an interruption in thought. I really need… Read more171. Using the Dash

Parentheses ( ) are a type of punctuation. Parentheses always come as a pair – in twos. We put parentheses around words and information that are not of major importance. The words in a parentheses can be left out and… Read more172. Parentheses

A direct quotation is the quoting of someone else’s words. When you write someone else’s words into your own document, you must place quotation marks around those quoted words. Quotation marks always come in a set of two. Here is… Read more173. Quotation Marks in Direct Quotations

In writing, we use italics (slanted writing like this) to designate titles of larger pieces of writing. Use italics for book titles, movie titles, television shows, magazine names, newspaper names. I saw the movie Jaws.My mother has a subscription to… Read more174. Quotation Marks and Italics in Titles