Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 2: Using a dash
• Part 2 of 2: Examples
• Tips
• Warnings

Do you often use a dash in an English sentence? And what about a hyphen (hyphen)? Many people don't know the difference between the two. Sometimes people even think that both are the same. If this also applies to you, read on and learn to fully master the dash.

To step

Part 1 of 2: Using a dash

1. Know the different dashes. A dash is clearly longer than a hyphen. There are several dashes, but the most common are the ones short dash (en dash; -) and the long dash (em dash; -). These are called so because they have the same width as the letter respectively n and the capital letter M..
   • It digit dash (figure dash) is a special typographic character most commonly used in telephone numbers. Since the word processor usually doesn't have it, you can just use a hyphen for this. (Example: 408‒555‒6792, or use 408-555-6792.)
   • A short dash (-) is usually used to indicate a series of numbers. It is longer than a hyphen, although a hyphen with spaces around it can be used if no dash is available. In Microsoft Word, the hyphen is automatically converted to a dash when you do this. (Example: August 13 – August 18, or pages 29–349. Note that there are no spaces around the short dash.)
   • A long dash is usually used to indicate a pause in a thought, or to separate an apposition from the rest of the sentence. It can also be used to indicate a period whose end is unknown :(Example: John Smith, 1976-).
   • The remainder of this article is about using the long dash (em dash).
2. Recognize one main sentence: Before you want to use a dash in an English sentence, you need to know what an independent clause is. A main clause is a sentence that can exist on its own because it contains both a subject and a verb, such as:
   • I love pizza.
   • My mom makes me dinner.
3. Use the long dash: When you know what a main clause is, you can start using the dash.
   • Usually a dash connect one main clause with another, with a separate or interrupting thought plus a conjunction, such as or, but, yet, as, for, and after the second dash.
   • The dash works much the same as quotation marks or commas, but is used when clearer punctuation is needed. The main clause can be associated with the "interrupting" thought as follows:
     • Main clause-thought - Main clause.
     • Main sentence thought.
4. Merge your sentences: Now practice with the dash. Here are some examples of the correct use of a dash:
   • I'd better have passed my test - it's ninety percent of my class grade - or I'll have to go to summer school.
   • Well, I passed the test-granted, I cheated-but I passed!
   • Abby gave me a terrible haircut-and she expected a tip!
5. Know what other ways there are to use a dash: Thought dashes are also used to individually name lists in the middle of a main sentence, where those lists already use commas, for example:
   • All of my school work-physics, Academic Decathlon, sociology, and calculus-got washed away when my house was flooded.

   Note: If there are only a apposition (which renames a noun), you must enclose it with commas and not dashes, for example:

   • The best waiter, Alain, can speak three languages.
6. Dashes are used in a dialogue to indicate speech that is being interrupted.
   • "But I-But you said- ... wait, what?" stammered Edna.
7. Dashes can also be used to emphasize a sentence.
   • Of course, I'll sign a prenuptial agreement-as long as it's in my favor.
8. Type the dashes properly.
   • wikiHow or wikipedia: Use - to indicate a long dash (em dash). It & symbol (ampersand) lets the system know that a code might be coming. The ; (semicolon; Eng: semicolon) closes the code. Likewise, you use – for a short dash (en dash).
   • When using a word processor, such as Microsoft Word, type two hyphens between the words you want to separate, without spaces between the hyphens and the words. The word processor will then automatically change the two hyphens into a long dash.

Part 2 of 2: Examples

1. Some general examples for clarification:
   • Incorrect: We saw two movies at the theater today-but I didn't really like either of them-.
   • Right: We saw two movies at the theater today-I didn't really like either of them.
   • Incorrect: My best friend-Sam-went to the doctor with me today.
   • Correct use of commas: My best friend, Sam, went to the doctor with me today.
   • Correct use of the dash: Sam-even though she fears clinics terribly-went to the doctor with me today.
     Note: In the last example, "Sam" is not an apposition; the separately placed object is a subordinate clause.

Tips

• When using a dash in a formal text - when you want to explain or enumerate something - it is advisable to rearrange the sentence so that you can use a semicolon instead; dashes tend to interrupt a sentence, which is not the desired tone of a formal text.
• Use dashes instead of parentheses when the comment you are making is more related to the first sentence, because parentheses usually represent a separate or more personal thought. Use dashes instead of commas when the comment interrupts the flow of a sentence, because commas are usually used for an item that fits better.

Warnings

• Don't use dashes too often. If your text is full of dashes, be sure to check them all and see whether or not they have been used correctly and appropriately.
• If you have a dash where a comma could work, use the comma!
• If you're using a dash at the end of a sentence, don't put a finishing line just before the full stop.
• Do not replace commas used for an apposition, by dashes. Just because it's an interruption doesn't mean there should be a dash.