When Dashes Attack

Clearly I need to keep myself on a schedule. I got off track with my original train of thought about grammar things. So we're back to where we were, and we'll continue with the dash. There are three different kinds of dashes, and each of them has a very specific use.

Hyphen

The hyphen is, by far, the trickiest because it has very specific applications. Most people understand that you can hyphenate words, but it's overused and misused more often than it's used correctly. Amy Einsohn's book "The Copy-Editor's Handbook" has a wonderful section regarding hyphens, which everyone should really check out.

Here are the basics, though:

There is one instance of hyphen use that has no grammatical purpose. Hyphens can be used to wrap text in pieces of text, when the word begins on the right side of the page and ends on the left side of the page.

Hyphens are typically used to join compound adjectives, though it should be noted that this needs to be used very carefully.

Ex (correct use): John's rust-laden car doesn't run well.
Ex (incorrect use): **John's rusty-old car doesn't run.

En dash

The en dash is almost exclusively used in the identification of lists or series of things.

Ex: Numbers 2-12 will not be graded. Letters R-T are not included in the cryptogram.

Typographically, the en dash is the dash that usually appears when you use the 'dash' key on your keyboard. Most word processors have a special icon that is used for the em dash.

Em dash or long dash

This is also called the double dash because of the old typographical use of two en dashes to indicate the use of the em dash instead of the en dash.

The em dash is used in the same way that a comma is with one noted exception in fiction. The em dash, when used like a comma, is meant to elevate the clause being set off. Going back to restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses, those set aside can be done so with the use of the em dash. The em dash has the function of making the statement important or noticeable to the reader (whereas parentheses have the function of making them less important, which I'll talk about later).

The noted exception to the use of the em dash is in dialog. When a character is being interrupted, it's nice to use an em dash to indicate the cutting off of that speech.

Ex: "John, look, I don't want --"; "No, we'll talk about it now, Peter".

As with any of these, please email me with more specific questions. Next time, I'll be going over the use of the colon.

Table of Contents:

1. Grammar. Yes. Grammar: An introductory post on the series
2. That's It. Period: A post on the full stop.
3. OMG! What's the Deal?: A post on question marks and exclamation points.
4. Commas, Commas, Commas: A post on the use of commas
5. You Say Potato; I Say Potato