What is the rule for using dashes?
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!
Which is longer a hyphen or a dash?
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. If your keyboard can’t produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in.
How do you type a dash or a hyphen?
They might all look like lines on a page, but hyphens and dashes serve different purposes. To begin, a hyphen (-) is shorter than a dash (–). Hyphens join words together and dashes indicate range. But that’s just the beginning.
Is there a space before and after a hyphen?
Sometimes confused with the hyphen, a dash comes between words as a form of division, whereas a hyphen generally joins words or parts of words to indicate a connection. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash.
How do you enter a dash?
If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an em dash or 0150 for an en dash. And that series of words was so profoundly absurd that it gave me a migraine. An easier (but no less infuriating) method is to open the emoji keyboard. Press Windows + Period (.) .
How do you write a dash?
A dash is expressed as an “em dash” ( — ) in printing, is expressed in plain text as two hyphens ( — ) and is used in place of a comma, colon or semicolon for greater emphasis. It denotes a major break or pause and should not be overused.
Can you use a dash before a list?
When a sentence begins with an independent clause and ends with a list, you can use a colon between the clause and the list. When the list comes first, it’s better to use a dash to connect the list to the clause.
Can you put a comma after a dash?
If the clause is within a sentence – like this one – both dashes are necessary. That sentence could be written If the clause is within a sentence, both dashes are necessary – with or without the comma. The comma is not necessary.
Is a hyphen in a sentence the same as a dash?
Hyphens are not the same as dashes. They are used to make a connection between two words working as a unit, or when two words have a combined meaning. These are known as compound words. Examples include “Mother-in-law” or “pick-me-up.”
What is a hyphen in grammar?
What Is a Hyphen? 1 A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other… 2 Use a hyphen in a compound modifier when the modifier comes before the word it’s modifying. 3 If you’re not sure whether a compound word has a hyphen or not, check your preferred dictionary. More
What is the rule for hyphenating prefixes?
Rule 1. Hyphenate prefixes when they come before proper nouns or proper adjectives. Rule 2. In describing family relations, great requires a hyphen, but grand becomes part of the word without a hyphen. My grandson and my granduncle never met.
Can you put a hyphen at the end of a line?
If you do need to split a word at the end of a line, it’s best to break the word between syllables. En dashes, which are about the width of an upper-case N, are often mistaken for hyphens. But, traditionally, en dashes function as a kind of super hyphen.