| - |
hyphen |
| The actress Catherine Zeta-Jones has a hyphenated surname, meaning it has two parts joined by a hyphen. |
| — |
dash |
| Writers can put a dash in the text if they want readers to pause for a moment when reading. |
| ! |
exclamation mark; exclamation point (N Am) |
| Exclamation marks are sometimes called exclamation points in North America. |
| # |
sharp; pound sign |
| The sign for sharp in music is also called a pound sign if it's on a phone keypad or a computer keyboard. |
| & |
ampersand |
| If you're writing a formal document, don't replace the word "and" with an ampersand. |
| • |
bullet |
| If a list has bullets or dashes instead of numbers, it's an unordered list. |
| ( ) |
(round) brackets; (round) parenthesis |
| After each song's title, put the composer's name in brackets. |
| * |
asterisk |
| If a word or phrase is followed by an asterisk, it usually means there's a note about it further down. |
| , |
comma |
| If you use two or more adjectives in a row, shouldn't you put commas between them? |
| . |
1 full stop; period 2 point |
| Put a full stop at the end of the sentence. |
| ... |
ellipsis points; ellipsis dots |
| Why do you think the writer ended the sentence with ellipsis points instead of a full stop? |
| / |
slash; oblique (Br) |
| The URL www.englishclub.com/vocabulary/ has two slashes. Can you see them? |
| : |
colon |
| A colon can introduce a list, a quotation or an explanatory clause. |
| ; |
semicolon |
| For a slightly longer pause, use a semicolon instead of a comma.
|
| ? |
question mark |
| Are question marks used in other languages as well? |
| [ ] |
(square) brackets; (square) parenthesis |
| When I edit a document, I put notes on the text inside square brackets. |
| \ |
backslash |
| The backslash is only used in computer commands, isn't it? |
| __ |
underline; also to underline (v.) |
| I've checked the document and underlined the parts that need correcting. |
| “ ” |
quotation marks; inverted commas |
| Our teacher said, “Don't forget to use quotation marks when you're writing dialogue.” |
| † |
dagger |
| If you want to add a second footnote, use a dagger instead of an asterisk. |