Back to top Hyphens 1. Hyphenate a compound adjective when it comes before the word it modifies. If you aren't sure about whether a compound adjective is hyphenated, look up the work in the dictionary. Use a hyphen to prevent confusion or awkwardness. Use parentheses to set off additions or expressions which are not necessary to the sentence.
Parentheses tend to de-emphasize what they set off.
Parentheses are used to enclose figures within a sentence. Back to top Quotation Marks 1. The statement in quotation marks must be the direct and exact words of a person. It was George Eliot who said that nothing is so good as it seems beforehand. Aristotle said that education is the best provision for old age.