How to improve on Writing

Writing is always the threat to all English learners.You can speak English fluently, you can listen to native speakers,however to convey your ideas in writing is not easy.Today, in order to help you,and also ourselves with writing skill, we post an article which we collected on the internet .We hope this will be useful to all of you,English learners.If you have any other ideas, please share wiht us.Thank you.
"Designer" Punctuation




Lesson Summary




This lesson covers some of the less commonly used punctuation marks, including hyphens, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, and diagonal slashes. While these marks aren't necessary all that often, when they are necessary it's important to use them correctly.




The punctuation marks covered in this lesson—hyphens, parentheses, brackets, ellipses, and diagonals—are not often used in regular writing. However, they serve very specific purposes. Knowing and understanding their functions gives a writer an advantage in communicating ideas. Since most of these rules are so specialized that few people know them, we'll begin immediately with the lesson rather than with an assessment of your current knowledge. The last part of the lesson discusses using numbers in written text.




Hyphens




The main purpose of a hyphen (-) is to join words in creating compound nouns or adjectives. Hyphens signal words that work together for a single purpose.


Parentheses




• Use parentheses to enclose explanatory material that interrupts the normal flow of the sentences and is only marginally related to the text.




Thirty-sixth Street (a party street if there ever was one) is a fun place to live.




Our neighbors threw a huge party on New Year's Eve. (Fortunately, we were invited.)




Unfortunately, another set of neighbors (they were not invited) called the police to complain about the noise.




We party-goers (how were we to know?) were completely surprised by the officers.




Notice the last three sentences. Each set of parentheses contains a complete sentence. If the parenthetical construction comes at the end of a sentence, it is punctuated as its own sentence within the parentheses. On the other hand, if it comes within another sentence, no capital letters or periods are necessary. However, if the parenthetical construction in the middle of another sentence is a sentence that would normally require a question mark or exclamation point, include that punctuation.




• Use parentheses to enclose information when accuracy is essential.




The two sons of Richard Hannika (Scott and William) are sole heirs to his fortune.




We hereby agree to sell the heirloom for sixty-three dollars ($63.00).




• Use parentheses to enclose letters or numbers marking a division.




This lesson includes several little-used, often-misused punctuation marks: (a) hyphens, (b) parentheses, (c) brackets, (d) diagonals, and (e) ellipses.




Your task consists of three steps: (1) locating information, (2) writing a report, and (3) delivering a presentation about your findings.




Brackets




• Use brackets to enclose parenthetical material within parentheses.




Brandi planned to work as an aeronautic engineer (she completed an internship at National Aeronautics and Space Administration [NASA]) as soon as she completed her doctoral work.




• Use brackets to enclose words inserted into a quotation.




"The next head nurse [Shawna DeWitt] will face the challenge of operating the floor with a reduced staff."




• Use brackets around the word sic to show that an error in a quotation was made by the original writer or speaker.




"Unless we heel [sic] the nation's economic woes, social problems will continue to mount."