Ellipses
You can use an ellipsis to signify a break in a sentence , typically in a quote . When used mid-sentence , there should be a space before and after the three dots . Don ’ t insert a full stop after an ellipsis .
“ Last week … the Australian Government passed new healthcare legislation ,” he said .
Use the ellipsis symbol in Microsoft Word , not three separate full stops , which can break over two lines .
Exclamation marks
An exclamation mark indicates something said suddenly , loudly or with strong emotion . Do not use it to indicate only emphasis or strong intent , as is common in social media .
“ I don ’ t believe it !” the witness exclaimed .
The CEO told the meeting this was something he believed in strongly !
Full stops
When using a full stop to end a sentence , follow it with a single space .
See ‘ Abbreviations ’ in the ‘ Formatting ’ chapter for more information .
Hyphens
Prefixes
Generally , UNSW style minimises the use of hyphens after prefixes : email , coordinate , cooperate
However , certain words require a hyphen for clarity . For example : re-sign ( to avoid confusion with ‘ resign ’)
re-evaluate ( to separate the two vowels )
If in doubt , check the Macquarie Dictionary . If the dictionary does not list the term as a single word or with a hyphen , you should probably write it as two words .
Compounds
For compound adjectives – adjectives comprising two words – a hyphen is necessary only to avoid ambiguity or confusion , or to ensure the sentence flows correctly :
a public sector report ( no hyphen is needed as the meaning is clear )
a small-business owner ( the hyphen shows the business is small , not the owner )
Many adjective-noun combinations require a hyphen for clarity when used adjectivally : high-achieving student , low-income families , second-hand cars , no-confidence motion
Use a hyphen to link two or more words that form an adjective in front of a noun ( attributive compound adjectives ):
We have state-of-the-art equipment .
We have state of the art equipment .
Do not use a hyphen when the adjective appears after the noun ( predicative compound adjective ): The house was well built .
The house was well-built .
Adjectives ending in ‘ ly ’ never take a hyphen when forming a compound adjective : a classically educated student
a classically-educated student
Don ’ t use a hyphen when forming a compound adjective from a comparative term ( like ‘ more ’, ‘ less ’, ‘ worse ’ and ‘ better ’) or a superlative ( like ‘ worst ’ or ‘ best ’) and a participle ( a verb-based word ), unless the hyphen is necessary for the sentence to make sense :
highest ranked organisation
longest running competition
better-known individuals
longest-running competition
Hyphens can also be used to show an association between two separate identities ( for example , ‘ the Australia-China partnership ’, ‘ the Randwick-Coogee route ’).
Writing Style Guide | Punctuation 40 | Back to contents