Dash
Dash is a punctuation mark used to separate words or groups of words in a sentence, often serving as a substitute for other punctuation like commas, parentheses, and colons. There are two primary types of dashes: the em dash and the en dash, which vary in length and function. The em dash, longer than an en dash and often used for emphasis or to indicate a sudden change in thought, can be created on a keyboard with specific key combinations. In contrast, the en dash is typically used for connecting ranges of numbers or dates, and while it is sometimes confused with a hyphen, its distinct purpose is crucial for clarity in writing.
Historically, dashes originated from the scribes' method of indicating text continuation, and their usage became standardized with the advent of printing. The names em and en dashes are believed to reference their sizes relative to the letters "m" and "n," although typographic terminology may also play a role. While em dashes should be used sparingly due to their strong emphasis, en dashes are often used in specific contexts, such as indicating ranges or clarifying compound adjectives. Understanding the proper usage of dashes can enhance written communication by adding clarity and emphasis.
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Dash
A dash is a punctuation mark that is used to separate words or groups of words in a sentence. Dashes are often used in place of other punctuation marks, such as commas, parentheses, colons, semicolons, and ellipses, to add emphasis or indicate a sudden change of thought. The two main types of dashes, the em dash and the en dash, differ in size and use.
Overview
Dashes are a common punctuation mark. They first came into use when scribes who were creating texts by hand used a straight line at the end of the last line of text to indicate that it continued onto the next page. Dashes became standardized when printing presses came into use. While some historians believe that em and en dashes were named because they are approximately the size of a letter m and n, others contend that the names of the dashes are based on the terminology used by typographers, or those who hand-set the letters into a press to create documents.
Dashes are straight horizontal lines that appear in the middle of a line of text. Both are longer than hyphens; an em dash is roughly the size of two hyphens. It is created on a computer keyboard by typing two hyphens followed by the next word. When set in typography, an en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen. Since computer keyboards do not have an appropriate key, using a hyphen in place of an en dash has become acceptable. However, key combinations can reproduce em and en dashes. Em dashes can be created on a Windows keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151 on the numeric keypad or pressing option+shift+hyphen keys on a Mac. En dashes can be created in Windows by holding down the Alt key and typing 0150 on the numeric keypad or pressing the option+hyphen keys on a Mac.
Em dashes are used to set off text in a sentence in a way that adds more emphasis than commas, parentheses, colons, semicolons, and ellipses. For example, “She ate the candy bar, the first she ever had, very slowly,” versus “She ate the candy bar—the first she ever had—very slowly.” The second example more strongly emphasizes the uniqueness of the experience and adds context as to why she ate slowly. Because they convey stronger emphasis, em dashes should be used sparingly.
En dashes are more difficult to detect because they are often replaced in type with hyphens. However, they should be used with numbers in quantity ranges, in time ranges, and less often, in dates. They are used correctly in this example: “Traffic peaked at 350–400 cars per hour from 8:00–10:00 a.m.” The en dash is sometimes used in date ranges as well (2023–24), but a hyphen has become more common. En dashes may also be used to add clarity to compound adjectives and create compound adjectives describing more than one person. For example, “He is a Nashville–based member of a singer–songwriter duo.” Most style guides suggest using a hyphen instead of an en dash for compound adjectives involving one person, such as a single singer-songwriter.
Bibliography
“The Complete Guide to Dashes.” Grammarly, 18 May 2022, www.grammarly.com/blog/dash/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
“Dashes.” Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation, 2023, www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
“Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes.” Chicago Manual of Style, 2017, www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/HyphensEnDashesEmDashes/faq0172.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
Mohidekar, Sneha. “A Brief History of Dashes.” Leff Communications, 10 Mar. 2021, leffcommunications.com/2021/03/10/a-brief-history-of-dashes/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
“Punctuation: Hyphen and Dash.” Western Michigan University Writing Style Guide, 2023, wmich.edu/writing/punctuation/hyphen. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
Trask, Larry. “The Dash.” University of Sussex, 1997, www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/hyphenanddash/dash. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.
“What Are Em Dashes ( — ) And How Do You Use Them?” Thesaurus.com, 8 Mar. 2022, www.thesaurus.com/e/grammar/em-dash/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2023.