Section 8 - Punctuation and Word Counts
 
 Summary of the Rules
 
 RULE: 8.1 Use colons (:) and dashes ( - ) to make tabular layouts.
 
 RULE: 8.2 When you count words for sentence length, the colon or the dash has the effect of a full stop (period).
 
 RULE: 8.3 Use the hyphen (-) as a joining signal.
 
 RULE: 8.4 When you count words for sentence length, each word in a hyphenated group counts as a separate word unless it is a prefix.
 
 RULE: 8.5 Use parentheses:
 
      To make condensed figure / text references
 
      For letters or numbers that indicate items which are part of a list
 
      To mark text for which separation by commas is not sufficient
 
      To set off text that is not part of the main statement, but is important enough to be indicated.
 
      To indicate the correct breakdown level of procedural substeps.
 
 RULE: 8.6 When you count words for sentence length, text in parentheses counts as a new sentence.
 
 RULE: 8.7 When you count words for sentence length, a number counts as one word.
 
 RULE: 8.8 When you count words for sentence length, an alphanumeric identifier counts as one word.
 
 RULE: 8.9 When you count words for sentence length, an acronym counts as one word.
 
 Why Do We Use Punctuation Marks?
 
 Punctuation marks show how parts of the text are related to each other. Punctuation can make your text more readable and the meaning more obvious. But the reader will find it more difficult to understand your text if there is too much punctuation or too little. If you want to write clearly and help your reader, you must use punctuation marks skillfully and not by personal preference. In "modern" writing, punctuation is not used as carefully as it could be. In Simplified English, however, it is essential that you use it correctly.
 
 This section does not give you a complete guide to punctuation. Here, only the punctuation marks that are mentioned in the rules for Simplified English are discussed. These marks are:
 
: Colon
 
- Dash
 
- Hyphen
 
( ) Parentheses
 
, Comma
 
. Full Stop (period)
 
 More information about punctuation can be obtained from official reference books such as UUS Government Printing Office Style ManualU, UThe Chicago Manual of StyleU, UThe Gregg Reference ManualU, or J.  Kirkman's UFull MarksU.