Page 62 - 4714

Statements inside brackets should be grammatically separate
from the sentence. That is, the sentence should be complete, even if
the contents of the brackets are removed.
Over 2,000 years ago, for instance, the Chinese drilled wells
with primitive yet efficient cable-tool rigs (they were still using similar
rigs as late as the 1940s).
• If a quotation contains a mistake in the original you can
indicate that the
error is not your own. This is indicated by the use of square brackets.
Dillard concludes her essay by saying that she "think[s] it
would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one
necessity and not let it go, to dangle from it limp wherever it take
you."
The expressions within brackets should be kept as brief as
possible, so as not to interrupt the flow of the sentence.
The use of brackets should be kept to a minimum. If used too
frequently, they create a choppy, unsettling effect.
The dash is used to indicate a sudden change of thought, an
additional comment, or a dramatic qualification: I'd better have passed
my test – it's ninety percent of my class grade – or I'll have to go to
summer school.
Dashes can also be used to insert a comment or a list of things:
Everything – furniture, paintings, and books – survived the fire.
An exclamation mark usually shows strong feeling, such as
surprise, anger or joy. Using an exclamation mark when writing is
rather like shouting or raising your voice when speaking. Exclamation
marks are most commonly used in writing quoted speech. You should
avoid using exclamation marks in formal writing, unless absolutely
necessary.
1. Use an exclamation mark to indicate strong feelings or a
raised voice in speech:
She shouted at him, "Go away! I hate you!"
2. Many interjections need an exclamation mark:

61