What is the purpose of a dash between words?
Table of Contents
What is the purpose of a dash between words?
A dash is a little horizontal line that floats in the middle of a line of text (not at the bottom: that’s an underscore). It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does.
What do dashes in the middle of words in a dictionary mean?
To indicate line breaks When the end of a line comes in the middle of a word, you can use a hyphen to divide it in a way it normally wouldn’t be.
How do you use dashes correctly?
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
What does a dash mean after a word?
The dash (—) is a mark of punctuation used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or a parenthetical remark (words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence). “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.”
What does dash mean in texting?
A dash usually replaces a comma, semicolon, colon, or parentheses. When used this way, it creates an EMPHATIC separation of words.
How do you use a dash in the middle of a sentence?
Use a dash to show a pause or break in meaning in the middle of a sentence:
- My brothers—Richard and John—are visiting Hanoi. (Could use commas.)
- In the 15th century—when of course nobody had electricity—water was often pumped by hand. (Could use brackets.)
How do you use dashes in dialogue?
The main things to remember are: Use an em dash if the speaker stops mid-word, in the same way as you’d use a hyphen. Put it inside the closing quotation marks. Use an em dash if the speaker’s able to complete a word, but someone or something stops them before they finish their thought.
Why use a dash in a sentence?
Use dashes to set off an idea or an appositive within a sentence. A dash (—) is a punctuation mark used to set off an idea within a sentence and may be used alone or in pairs. Dashes interrupt a thought in a more dramatic way than a phrase enclosed in commas, but less theatrically than parentheses.
What does an em dash look like?
It can add a spice—or a dash, if you will—to a sentence by adding emphasis to certain words and phrases. I am talking about the em-dash, which looks like two hyphens connected into one long line. Depending on the sentence, the em-dash can have a similar function to parentheses, colons, commas, and even semicolons.
What is the effect of a dash in a sentence?
In effect, a dash allows you to redefine what was just written, making it more explicit. You can also use a dash as it is used in the first sentence of this paragraph: to frame an interruptive or parenthetical-type comment that you do not want to de-emphasize.