The first thing to know when talking about dashes is that
they are almost never required by the laws of grammar and punctuation
. Overusing dashes can break up the flow of your writing, making it choppy or even difficult to follow, so don't overdo it.
How do you use dashes in a sentence?
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!
Are dashes unprofessional?
Whether or not you use spaces around your em dashes (word—word or word — word) is a matter of style. … Using a single
hyphen
instead of an em dash can confuse readers and make your writing look unprofessional.
Are dashes used in formal writing?
Did you know that dashes are
informal punctuation
? When writing a formal letter or another kind of document, you should always try to avoid informal punctuation symbols. Dashes are one example; exclamation marks are another. … Dashes can be replaced by several other punctuations including commas, colons and brackets.
How do you use a dash instead of a comma?
Em dashes can be used in pairs to replace commas when writing a parenthetical or interruptive phrase. The dashes have a slightly more emphatic feel, making the reader focus on this information that is set inside the special marks.
Is it bad to use dashes in writing?
The problem with the dash—as you may have noticed! —is that
it discourages truly efficient writing
. It also—and this might be its worst sin—disrupts the flow of a sentence.
Can you overuse the em dash?
Em dashes are extremely versatile, but
they should not be overused
. If you have an em dash in every other paragraph, for instance, take a moment to come up with a different sentence construction or punctuation mark instead. Overuse dilutes their emphasis and can make your writing choppy.
Is the dash informal?
Note that
dashes are rather informal
and should be used carefully in writing. Dashes are often used informally instead of commas, colons and brackets. A dash may or may not have a space on either side of it.
Can I use em dash in academic writing?
Although
en or em dashes are acceptable in scholarly prose
, they are less formal than colons and often suggest an aside or afterthought, so excessive use of this construction (in every sentence, for instance) is poor style, and as a general rule no more than one parenthetical or explanatory clause marked by dashes …
How do you write an em dash in writing?
less simple: you need to
use an alt code
When should a dash be used in writing?
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.
When can you use a in writing?
-
General Rules Use “a” or “an” with a singular count noun when you mean “one of many,” “any,” “in general.” - Use “the” with any noun when the meaning is specific; for example, when the noun names the only one (or one) of a kind.
How do you use two dashes in a sentence?
Two dashes
can emphasize a modifier
. Words or phrases that describe a noun can be set off with dashes if you wish to emphasize them. Example: The fairgrounds—cold and wet in the October rain—were deserted. Example: Nettie—her chin held high—walked out into the storm.
How do you use list in a sentence?
- Make me a list of the things we would need and I'll take you into town. …
- Where do we do list them? …
- Do you have a list yet? …
- I'm getting reports from the recruitment team that a lot of their newly flagged Guardians are getting whacked as soon as they make the list , Damian said.
Why do people put a dash after every sentence?
Hyphens go in the middle of words: When a word is broken at the end of a line, in compound words such as three-em dash, to
add clarity as necessary between roots and affixes
(such as in co-worker so you don't read coworker as cow orker), and in constructions such as compound adjectives (off-white shirt) and names (Tay- …
What is an em dash sentence?
The em dash (—)
sets off a word or clause and adds emphasis.
Or, it can signal an interruption (see our article on interrupting sentences for more on that!) or amplification (“expanding”) of an idea. It's also the longest of the dashes (e.g., hyphen, en dash).
