How To Use Single Dashes

Dashes add drama parentheses whisper.

How to use single dashes. When used with numbers en dashes can generally be read as to or through for example if you read the statement pages 182 197 out loud it would sound like pages 182 through 197. Hyphens are shorter than dashes and are used to connect words. You can create an em dash in microsoft office software among others by pressing ctrl alt on the number pad. Dashes are used as punctuation in sentences. The words between a pair of dashes may or may not form a complete sentence.

An afterthought or something to be emphasised. Take it out and the sentence makes sense. To do a find and or replace plug the code into either the find what or replace with text boxes to search for or replace with an em dash. When the dash is used in this way it creates a compound adjective. The en dash may also be used to indicate a connection between two words.

The single dash is normally a feature of informal english and is used especially in narrative to create suspense or to indicate that what follows is. Do not use an em dash. The information inside the dashes is off topic. Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways. See the following examples.

Pamela sat upright in. If you think back to last week we said that a colon needed an independent clause to the left of it and that there were three things that could go to the right. Using dashes in compound adjectives with equal parts a dash can replace a hyphen in a compound adjective with two equal elements. A list an elaboration or summary or another independent clause. The material inside the dashes relates to the information in the rest of the sentence but it acts as an interruption to the main point that you re making.

A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence. An en dash is most commonly used to indicate a range of numbers like pages 182 197 in a book or an event happening from 1 p m 5 p m. Use an en dash when you need to connect terms that are already hyphenated or when you are using a two word phrase as a modifier. Find out more in a bitesize ks2 english guide. Where parentheses indicate that the reader should put less emphasis on the enclosed material dashes indicate that the reader should pay more attention to the material between the dashes.