Dashes - Writing Commons
Maybe your like
Menu Encyclopedia for Writers
Writing with AI
Courses
Projects
Contribute
Writing Commons > Grammar – What are the Fundamentals of Grammar? > Mechanics > Punctuation > DashesDashes
- © 2023 by Joseph M. Moxley
Use dashes to set off an idea or an appositive within a sentence.
A dash (—) is a punctuation mark used to set off an idea within a sentence and may be used alone or in pairs. Dashes interrupt a thought in a more dramatic way than a phrase enclosed in commas, but less theatrically than parentheses.
To form a dash, type two hyphens—without a space before, after, or between them—and your word processor will convert them to a dash. You make a dash by hitting the hyphen key twice. The hyphen key is next to the +/= key on your keyboard (the same key with the underscore _ ). Some Word programs will automatically join your hyphens together to make a dash, and some will leave the space. Either way is fine!
Dashes can be placed at the beginning, middle, or end of a sentence, depending on what you want to emphasize:
- Teaching—the profession has always appealed to me.
- The idea of being a teacher—working with kids, summers off—has always appealed to me.
- I have always known what I want to be—a teacher.
Note: If you put a dash in the middle of your sentence, you need to place another dash at the end of the emphasized information (like parentheses!).
Use dashes thoughtfully and sparingly, or they may lose their effectiveness.
How should dashes be used?
- To provide further explanation, clarification, or a summary of the material that comes before the dash
- Cell phones, hand-held computers, and built-in TVs—each a possible distraction—can lead to a potentially dangerous situation if used while driving.
- To introduce a short list within a sentence
- The young woman took all of the necessary supplies—leash, pet carrier, and paperwork—to the shelter when she went to pick up her newly-adopted dog.
- To define a term
- Genocide—the systematic killing of a racial group—is an atrocity that has created black holes in history.
- To highlight information at the end of a sentence
- Childhood obesity has become a grave concern in many parts of the world—particularly during the last two decades.
- To indicate a change in tone
- She finally let down her guard—and cried like a baby—when the counselor urged her to let go of her pain.
Use a Dash after a Series or List of Appositives
When you introduce a long series or list of appositives before the subject and verb, you are placing high demands on the reader’s short-term memory. Therefore, use this pattern rarely and only for emphasis. This pattern is particularly appropriate in conclusions, when you are bringing together the major threads of your discussion or argument. Finally, you should place a summary word after the dash and preferably before the subject of the sentence, as indicated by the following examples. The most common summary words that writers use are all, those, this, each, what, none, such, these.
- Jealousy, lust, hate, greed–these are the raw emotions we will explore.
- Lying, stealing, cheating, committing adultery–which is the greatest sin?
- To struggle with meaning, to edit, to combine sentences–these activities are well known to the struggling writer.
- Wining and dining his friends, stroking people’s egos, maintaining a good appearance, and spending money–all were part of his scheme to gain influence.
Use Dashes When You Wish to Emphasize a Parenthetical Element
Commas are usually sufficient punctuation to set off parenthetical elements. In some instances, however, you can use a dash instead, especially if you want to make the insertion more noticeable:
- The building next to ours–the one with the all-cedar exterior–was engulfed in flames.
When you want to whisper rather than shout, you can place the modifiers inside parentheses:
- The secret I have to tell you (the one I’ve been hinting about) will surprise you.
Use Dashes to Embed a Series or List of Appositives
A single appositive or modifier can easily be set off from the rest of the sentence in commas, but you must use dashes when you insert a series of appositives or modifiers. After all, how else will the reader know when the series is over?
- The essential qualities of an effective writer–discipline, effort, inspiration–can be learned by regular writing.
- With the help of her assistant–a high-speed personal computer–she produced a delightful letter.
Use Dashes to Set off an Emphatic Repetition
You can emphasize an important point by placing a dash or comma at the end of the sentence and then repeating a key word or phrase:
- Hal is a computer, the ultimate computer.
- Mrs. Leavitt is a gambler, a compulsive gambler.
- He was disturbed by the warning–the warning that everyone else ignored.
- All rapists should be severely punished–punished in a way they will never forget.
Creative Challenges
The Elements of Style
Brevity - Say More with Less
Clarity (in Speech and Writing)
Coherence - How to Achieve Coherence in Writing
Diction
Flow - How to Create Flow in Writing
Inclusivity - Inclusive Language
Simplicity
Style
The Elements of Style - The DNA of Powerful Writing
Unity
Recommended
Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community
Structured Revision – How to Revise Your Work
Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World – Guide to Professional and Business Communication
Credibility and Authorial Authority – How to Develop Readers’ Trust and Respect
Citation Guide – Learn How to Cite Sources in Academic and Professional Writing
Page Design – How to Design Messages for Maximum Impact
Other Topics:
Citation - Definition - Introduction to Citation in Academic & Professional Writing
- Joseph M. Moxley
Explore the different ways to cite sources in academic and professional writing, including in-text (Parenthetical), numerical, and note citations.
Collaboration - Strategies for Collaborating in Academic & Professional Writing
- Joseph M. Moxley
Collaboration refers to the act of working with others or AI to solve problems, coauthor texts, and develop products and services. Collaboration is a highly prized workplace competency in academic...
Genre - Why Is Knowledge of Genre Important to Writers?
- Joseph M. Moxley
Genre may reference a type of writing, art, or musical composition; socially-agreed upon expectations about how writers and speakers should respond to particular rhetorical situations; the cultural values; the epistemological assumptions...
Grammar - What are the Fundamentals of Grammar?
- Joseph M. Moxley
Grammar refers to the rules that inform how people and discourse communities use language (e.g., written or spoken English, body language, or visual language) to communicate. Learn about the rhetorical...
Information Literacy - How to Differentiate Quality Information from Misinformation & Rhetrickery
- Joseph M. Moxley
Information Literacy refers to the competencies associated with locating, evaluating, using, and archiving information. You need to be strategic about how you consume and use information in order to thrive,...
Mindset - Why Is Mindset So Important To Your Writing Process?
- Joseph M. Moxley
Mindset refers to a person or community’s way of feeling, thinking, and acting about a topic. The mindsets you hold, consciously or subconsciously, shape how you feel, think, and act–and...
Rhetoric - How To Decode Rhetorical Situations And Communicate With Power
- Joseph M. Moxley
Learn about rhetoric and rhetorical practices (e.g., rhetorical analysis, rhetorical reasoning, rhetorical situation, and rhetorical stance) so that you can strategically manage how you compose and subsequently produce a text...
Style
- Joseph M. Moxley
Style, most simply, refers to how you say something as opposed to what you say. The style of your writing matters because audiences are unlikely to read your work or...
The Writing Process - Research on Composing
- Joseph M. Moxley
The writing process, also known as the composing process, refers to everything you do in order to complete a writing project. Over the last six decades, researchers have studied and theorized...
Writing Studies - Portrait of an Emerging Field
- Joseph M. Moxley
Writing studies refers to an interdisciplinary community of scholars and researchers who study writing. Writing studies also refers to an academic, interdisciplinary discipline – a subject of study. Students in...
Close Search About
Awards
Project History & Acknowledgements
Terms of Service & Privacy
Grammar
Mechanics
Modifiers, Modification
Parallelism
Sentences
The 9 Parts of Speech
Rhetoric
Rhetorical Moves and Academic Writing
Rhetorical Reasoning
Rhetorical Situation
Rhetorical Stance
Rhetorical Theory
Citation
APA
Attribution
Citation Guide
Citation Tools
MLA
Information Literacy
Authority & Credibility
Evidence
Information Ethics
Information Evaluation
Information Literacy Ecosystem
Style
The Elements of Style
Writing Styles
Collaboration
Coauthorship
Collaboration Tools
Conflict Resolution
Critique
Peer Review
Team Leadership
Teamwork
Literacy
Cognitive
Communication
Critical Literacy
Digital Literacy
Quantitative Literacy
Semiotics
Symbolic Communication
Symbolic Systems
Visual Language
Visual Literacy
Writing
Composing with AI
Pedagogy
Research
Resources
Theory
Mindset
Growth Mindset
Habits of Mind
Intellectual Openness
Professionalism & Work Ethic
Resilience
Self-Regulation & Metacognition
The Writing Process
Discovering Your Unique Writing Process
Drafting
Editing
How to Leverage Inner Speech
Invention
Preliminary Research
Visual Brainstorming
Planning
Prewriting
Problem-Solving Strategies for Writers
Rereading
Revising
Sharing – Publishing
The 7 Habits of Mind & The Writing Process
The Embodied Writing Process
The Ultimate Blueprint
Design
Design Principles
Elements of Art
Elements of Design
Information Design and Architecture
Page Design
Universal Design Principles
Usability & User Experience
Visualization Techniques
Organization
Organizational Patterns
Organizational Structures
Paragraphs
Sentence Schemas
Discourse
Causes & Effects
Classification
Comparison & Contrast
Dialogue
Definition
Description
Discourse Conventions
Exemplification
Exposition
Narration
Research
Applied Research, Basic Research
Epistemology
Research Ethics
Research Methodology
Research Methods
Writing Studies
Communication Studies
Composition Studies
Psychology & Writing Studies
Research on Mindset
Rhetoric & Technology
Workplace Writing
Writers @ Work
Genre
Annotated Bibliography
Argument, Argumentation
Autobiography
Conclusions
Cover Letter, Letter of Transmittal
Executive Summary
Formal Reports
Infographics
Instructions & Processes
Introductions
Pitch
Presentations
Problem Definition
Progress Reports
Proposals
Recommendation Reports
Research Proposal
Research Protocol
Reviews and Recommendations
Subjects & Concepts
Team Charter
SearchFeatured Articles
Academic Writing – How to Write for the Academic Community
Professional Writing – How to Write for the Professional World – Guide to Professional and Business Communication
Credibility and Authorial Authority – How to Develop Readers’ Trust and Respect
Tag » Where In The Sentence Should The Writer Add A Hyphen
-
Using Punctuation #1 Flashcards - Quizlet
-
Using Punctuation Flashcards - Quizlet
-
Where In The Sentence Should The Writer Add A Hyphen?
-
When Should You Use A Hyphen? - Writer
-
Hyphen Rules And Examples
-
Dashes And Parentheses | University Of Illinois Springfield
-
Hyphen Use // Purdue Writing Lab
-
The Basics Of Punctuation | SkillsYouNeed
-
Semicolons, Colons, And Dashes - UNC Writing Center
-
The Hyphen And The Dash - University Of Sussex
-
Where In The Sentence Should The Writer Add A Hyphen? I Spen
-
Dashes | The Writer
-
Dashes: How To Use Them In Sentences - Grammarly
-
Why Did The Writer Put A Comma After “why” And A Hyphen After 'Black ...