Punctuation symbols are: [ ] Brackets enclose an optional portion of a format. Brackets around vertically stacked entries indicate that you can select one of the enclosed elements. You must include all punctuation as it appears in the brackets. { } Braces enclose a mandatory portion of a general format. Braces around vertically stacked entries indicate that you must choose one of the enclosed elements. Braces also group portions of a format as a unit. You must include all punctuation as it appears in the braces. ... An ellipsis indicates that you can repeat the immediately preceding language element. An ellipsis following a format unit enclosed in brackets or braces means that you can repeat the entire unit. If repeated elements or format units must be separated by commas, the ellipsis is preceded by a comma (,...).