What are the 3 types of dashes?
There are three kinds of dashes: the em dash, the en dash, and the double hyphen. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—). A good way to remember the difference between these two dashes is to visualize the en dash as the width of the letter N and the em dash as the width of the letter M.
What punctuation can replace a dash?
A dash is expressed as an "em dash" ( — ) in printing, is expressed in plain text as two hyphens ( -- ) and is used in place of a comma, colon or semicolon for greater emphasis. It denotes a major break or pause and should not be overused. President Dunn introduced the plan—the first of its kind—at a public forum.
What are the 3 types of punctuation?
Windows. For Windows on a keyboard with a numeric keypad: Use Alt + 0 1 5 0 (en dash) or Alt + 0 1 5 1 (em dash) using the numeric keypad.
What are the 3 ways we can use dashes in your writing?
There are two types of dashes: the en dash and the em dash. An en dash is only a singular dash, slightly longer than a hyphen, while an em dash is two dashes put together to form a longer one.
How do you type different types of dashes?
A dash is a stronger and more informal mark than a colon. Think of a colon as part of the sentence that just ambles along. “Squiggly has two hobbies [and, now I'm going to tell you what they are, colon] playing jokes on Aardvark and cooking.” A colon informs the reader that something more is coming along.
What are the two types dash and dash?
The difference between an em-dash and a semicolon is the length and purpose of the pause it creates. An em-dash isolates the idea that follows; a semicolon combines two ideas into one. The best way to determine if you can use an em-dash or a semicolon is to try them out in your sentence, then read it aloud.
Can colons replace dashes?
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline.
Can a semicolon replace a dash?
An ellipsis ( ... ) consists of three evenly spaced periods and is used to indicate the omission of words or suggest an incomplete thought. In general, an ellipsis should be treated as a three-letter word, with a space, three periods and a space.
Is a dash a type of punctuation?
The apostrophe has three uses: 1) to form possessive nouns; 2) to show the omission of letters; and 3) to indicate plurals of letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not use apostrophes to form possessive pronouns (i.e. his/her computer) or noun plurals that are not possessives.
What does 3 punctuation marks mean?
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
What is (') used for?
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. If your keyboard can't produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in.
How to use dash?
Quick Usage Guideline
Em dashes are longer (—), so they are used between phrases or clauses (groups of words). Hyphens are shorter (-), so they are only used between prefixes and words to make compound words such as self- esteem. Of these three marks of punctuation, the en dash is used the least frequently.
Which symbol is dash?
Use your keyboard's em dash shortcut
On Windows, it's... less simple: you need to use an alt code to get an em dash. If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an em dash or 0150 for an en dash.
What is the difference between a dash and a hyphen?
On a Mac (and on iOS devices connected to a physical keyboard), you can use ⌥ + - for an en-dash and ⇧ Shift + ⌥ + - for an em-dash. ( ⌥ is the Option or Alt key). On Windows, if you have a numeric keypad, you can use Alt + 0150 resp. Alt + 0151.
When can I use a dash in writing?
Figure Dash (-)
You will most often see (and use) the figure dash when writing phone numbers or similar number sequences. For example: 404-555-1236. 667-555-9862.
How do you type a dash instead of a hyphen?
Double dashes are used instead of commas (or parentheses) to interrupt a sentence. The phrase separated by dashes must be grammatically inessential, by which I simply mean that the sentence will still work without that phrase.
What are the different types of dashes in the UK?
Use an em dash instead of a colon when you want to emphasize the conclusion of your sentence without giving it all of the connotations that a colon brings. A dash can add “extra” information and is more flexible in this way. It is also less formal than a colon.
How do you make a dash not a hyphen?
A pair of em dashes can replace a pair of parentheses. Dashes are considered less formal than parentheses; they are also more intrusive. If you want to draw attention to the parenthetical content, use dashes. If you want to include the parenthetical content more subtly, use parentheses.
What is a dash example?
Note: that the phrases "such as," "are," "including," or "for example" replace a colon in signaling a list. Some of the courses a management student should have are Human Resource Management, Finance, Accounting, and Organizational Behavior. A colon signals and emphasizes a comment or explanation that follows.
What is the double dash punctuation?
A semicolon can replace a period or a comma and a coordinating conjunction to demonstrate contrast between independent clauses instead of agreement. This is part of the same rule, but the conjunction in question is but instead of and.
What punctuation can replace a colon?
Connecting your clauses with a semi-colon might provide a pause that is just right, while a dash could make that pause more dramatic by highlighting the following clause, or a colon could signal that the second clause expands on the first.
Can dashes replace parentheses?
Em-dashes are used to denote sudden changes in sentence structure. They are also used (instead of commas) to set off an explanation or emphasis. Joan—despite her brother's warning—entered the dark building.
How do you replace a colon?
While the ellipsis and the dash both represent breaks in text, the dash—or more precisely, the em dash—represents an abrupt interruption. The dash can also be used to represent a pause, but a more emphatic one than the “soft” pause of an ellipsis.
What 3 things can semicolons replace?
Use a dash instead of a comma if you want to set off a nonessential element that needs special emphasis—but use it sparingly and for deliberate effect. If a nonessential element contains an internal comma—again, a comma within the element itself—use dashes instead of commas to set the element off.
What is a semicolon vs a dash?
According to McCarthy (1991:43) there are three types of ellipsis, they consist of: (1) nominal ellipsis, (2) verbal ellipsis, (3) clausal ellipsis. Firstly, nominal ellipsis. Nominal ellipsis often involves omission of a noun headword, for example: Nelly liked the green tiles, I preferred the blue.
What is an em dash?
There are 14 different types of punctuation symbols. Correct punctuation allows writing to be read clearly and minimises misunderstanding.
Is a dash ellipsis?
The symbol ";" is called a semicolon, while the symbol ":" is called a colon. The semicolon is used to separate two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning or to separate items in a list when the items themselves contain commas.
Why use a dash and not a comma?
There are 14 punctuation marks in English, including the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, colon, dash, hyphen, parentheses, brackets, curly braces, quotation marks, apostrophe, and ellipsis.
What are 3 ways a sentence can end?
The ampersand (&) is a symbol in English that has the same meaning as the word and. It appears much less often in formal writing than in company names (Dolce & Gabbana), artistic titles (Lilo & Stitch), and other situations where spelling out and takes up too much space.
What are the 3 types of ellipsis?
Plotly.
Plotly, a Canada-based company, built Dash and supports its development. You may know the company from the popular graphing libraries that share its name. The company released Dash as open source under an MIT license, so you can use Dash at no cost.
How many types of punctuation are there?
There are actually three different types of dashes: the em-dash, the en- dash, and the 3-em dash. The em-dash can be used to replace parentheses, colons, and commas. Generally, using the em- dash makes the writing style more informal—as if you were writing to an old friend.
What is this (;) called?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
What are the 14 punctuation marks?
The first known documentation of the hyphen is in the grammatical works of Dionysius Thrax. At the time hyphenation was joining two words that would otherwise be read separately by a low tie mark between the two words. In Greek these marks were known as enotikon, officially romanized as a hyphen.
Is it OK to use & instead of and?
A dash is expressed as an "em dash" ( — ) in printing, is expressed in plain text as two hyphens ( -- ) and is used in place of a comma, colon or semicolon for greater emphasis. It denotes a major break or pause and should not be overused.
Can I use dash for free?
Dash – 1/8 teaspoon or half of a tad. Like the verb to quickly move, dash described the quickness of adding a spice (or other ingredient) from a spice bottle.
What is type dash?
Use dashes when you want to enclose or set off something that deserves a lot of attention, is meant to interrupt your sentence, or already has commas or parentheses in it. Use commas to enclose things that belong firmly in the flow of your sentence.
How long is a dash?
The em dash is sometimes considered a less formal equivalent of the colon and parenthesis, but in truth it's used in all kinds of writing, including the most formal—the choice of which mark to use is really a matter of personal preference.
Who invented hyphens?
Although they also have other uses, dashes and colons can both be used to introduce the next part of a sentence, and the difference between the two marks is subtle. A dash is a stronger and more informal mark than a colon. Think of a colon as part of the sentence that just ambles along.
What is the rule of punctuation dash?
A dash is a form of punctuation mark that is used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or a parenthetical remark.
How much is a dash?
Dashes are by far the trickiest of punctuation marks because they can perform the same grammatical function as several others—commas, parentheses, semicolons, colons, even periods.
Is a dash the same thing as a comma?
There are three kinds of dashes: the em dash, the en dash, and the double hyphen. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—). A good way to remember the difference between these two dashes is to visualize the en dash as the width of the letter N and the em dash as the width of the letter M.
What are the 4 uses of a dash?
There are three lengths of what non-typesetters simply think of as a dash: the hyphen (-), the en-dash (–), and the em-dash (—). These punctuations marks belong to the elite of punctuation but are actually quite easy.
Should you use a dash in formal writing?
Windows. For Windows on a keyboard with a numeric keypad: Use Alt + 0 1 5 0 (en dash) or Alt + 0 1 5 1 (em dash) using the numeric keypad.
What is the difference between a dash and a colon?
The dash may be used to signal a substitution for parentheses or as a substitute for the phrases like “it is” or “they are.” When used as a substitute, the words after the dash become more important.
Does dash count as punctuation?
A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.
How do you replace a dash with a non breaking hyphen in word?
If dialogue is interrupted by action only (i.e. with no dialogue tag), you can indicate this with a pair of em dashes. Note that on this occasion they sit outside the quotation marks and have spaces either side. Examples: “Alright” – he smacked his hands together – “who else is having soup?”
Can you use a dash instead of a semicolon?
What do 2 dashes mean?
What are the 3 types of dashes and their use?
What is a double dash called?
Are there different types of hyphens?
How do you type different types of dashes?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
What is the dash as punctuation substitutions?
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another.
Is a dash than a hyphen?
– Meaning and Definition. A dash is a punctuation mark that resembles a hyphen, but longer. A dash is used to separate part of a sentence and indicate a break. It indicates a longer pause than a comma and a semicolon. It is also called a long dash or an em dash.
What are examples of em dash in sentences?
Dashes function in two ways: to signal interruptions in a sentence (basically like parentheses), and to connect independent clauses.