Over the last two weeks we’ve covered comma usage and the punctuation of dialogue in fiction. Today I’m going to discuss seven less common punctuation marks, and how they’re used in modern fiction:
- Brackets (Parentheses)
- Colon
- Ellipsis
- Em-Dash
- En-Dash
- Hyphen
- Semicolon
Note that I am focussing on the use of these punctuation marks in modern fiction i.e. fiction published within the last ten years.
You may well see different usage in older books. This usage may still be considered grammatically correct, or it may now be considered dated (e.g. using quotation marks for unspoken thought, as I discussed last week). But if you’re trying to get published now, you need to understand current trends and guidelines.
Brackets (Parenetheses)
Technically, [these] are brackets, while (these) are parentheses. No, most people don’t know the difference (including most of my teachers at school).
Parentheses are used to provide additional information that’s not necessary for the reader to know in order to understand the sentence. The sentence should still make sense without the section in parentheses.
Parentheses are more common in nonfiction than in fiction.
I do occasionally read a modern novel that uses parentheses. However, they tend to be novels written in first person, where the point of view character has a strong and quirky voice, so it feels as though they are talking directly to the reader. Parentheses can also be used if the character is writing a text message, email, or diary entry.
Colon
A colon (:) may be used to separate two independent clauses in a way that’s less final than a full stop (period). It’s often used when the second independent clause amplifies or explains the first. For example:
I don’t like Monday: Sunday is my favourite day of the week.
A colon can also be used to signal a quotation (as I used before the above example), or to introduce a list:
I love flowers: carnations, daisies, lavender, roses. I love them all.
As you can see, there are clear grammatical use for the colon. However, colons have fallen out of favour in modern fiction—I don’t recall the last novel I read that used a colon. It has generally been replaced by the em-dash.
Ellipsis …
Ellipsis is the correct name for the series of dots we sometimes see. For example:
“I … I don’t know.”
As you can see, the ellipsis indicate stuttering or repetition, and may indicate indecision. If the ellipsis falls at the end of the dialogue, it usually indicates a trailing off off speech, as though the character doesn’t know what to say:
“This feels wrong, but I don’t know why …”
As with any punctuation mark, it’s best not to overuse the ellipsis. This is especially important in dialogue, as too many ellipses can make the character appear stupid.
Note that the ellipsis is always three dots, never less and never more.
Some style guides permit the use of a period after an ellipsis, which can make it look as though the ellipsis has four dots. But this is only used in specific situations around quotations, so is unlikely to be relevant to fiction authors.
There are two ways to type an ellipsis. The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS 13.50) uses three spaced periods, with a space before and after the ellipsis:
” . . . I don’t know.”
Note that the ellipsis should use nonbreaking spaces—otherwise, the ellipsis can end up breaking across two lines in the final book (or on the e-reader).
Other style manuals use the ellipsis glyph, which is Alt-0133 on a PC and Cmd-0133 on an Apple i.e. hold down the Alt or Cmd key while typing “0151”. This shows as one character, and generally has a space before and after.
Em-Dash —
The em-dash gets its name from the fact it is approximately the length of the letter “m”. It has several uses in modern fiction.
The em-dash can be used in place of a colon:
I don’t like Monday—Sunday is my favourite day of the week.
The em-dash can be used instead of parentheses (which are rarely used in fiction).
I love flowers: carnations, daisies, lavender, roses. I love them all.
My one proviso in using the em-dash instead of parentheses is to make sure you don’t end the sentence on an em-dash, as running and em-dash and period together looks odd.
The em-dash can be used to indicate a character’s dialogue is interrupted:
“Why didn’t you buy—”
“They were out of stock.”
Note that there is no terminal punctuation at the end of the first speaker’s dialogue:
“Why didn’t you buy—.”
This is wrong, because the character hasn’t finished speaking. Sometimes a writer will use an em-dash at the end of one line and the beginning of another, to indicate one character talking over another:
“Why didn’t you—”
“They were out of stock.”
“—buy takeaways for dinner?”
Okay, so that’s not a great example. But you can see what I mean.
The fact there are several correct uses for the em-dash can mean it is overused. As with any punctuation mark, it’s important not to overuse the em-dash.
Some computers and software will automatically insert an em-dash when you type two consecutive hyphens. If not, you can force an em-dash using Alt-0151 on a PC and Cmd-0151 on an Apple. There are generally no spaces before or after an em-dash.
En-Dash
An en-dash is approximately the length of the letter “n”, which means it’s longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em-dash.
An en-dash is used to show some kind of range:
- Dates: 1993–2000
- Bible verses: John 1:1–14
- Citations: Chapters 3–5
- Directions: the London–Dover train
- An unfinished number range: 1969–
- Campus locations: the University of Wisconsin–Madison
You can find more information in CMOS 6.78–84.
You can create an en-dash using Alt-0150 on a PC and Cmd-0150 on an Apple.
Hyphen
If you’re anything like me (or how I used to be, before I studied editing), you use the hyphen where you now know you should be using the en-dash or em-dash. But the hyphen still has many uses. In fact, the hyphenation table in the latest edition of the Chicago Manual of Style is several pages long (CMOS 7.89).
The most common uses for the hyphen are:
- Adjectival phrases: over-the-counter pharmaceuticals
- Compounds: mass-produced, three-year-old child
The rules for compounds are complex, but there are four main principles to remember:
- Check the dictionary. If the word is hyphenated in the dictionary, use a hyphen.
- Compounds with -ly adverbs are not hyphenated: she was highly paid, not highly-paid.
- Many compounds are hyphenated before the noun, but not after. For example: she was a computer-literate student, but the student was computer literate.
- If you’re not sure, pick a style and be consistent: use email or e-mail, but don’t use both in the same document.
Semicolon
The semi-colon is another punctuation mark that can be used to separate two independent clauses. The separation is less final than a period or even a colon.
The semi-colon may also be used in complex lists, although that’s more common in nonfiction. Having said that, it’s probably more common to use bullet points for complex lists, as they’re easier to read.
Note that these guidelines are specifically for modern fiction, and reflects the trends I see in the books I read. We haven’t abandoned the colon or semi-colon. It’s more that they’re not commonly seen in modern fiction.
That isn’t to say you can’t use them. But if you do use them, use them correctly.
