Grammatically, this use is more or less interchangeable with #2: a full, standalone sentence must come before the dash, but either a sentence or a fragment can follow.Ĭorrect: A number of John Locke’s ideas influenced The Declaration of Independence –particularly those concerning government, labor, and revolution. They are used to create a slight sense of drama or suspense. The information after the dash explains why Locke was one of the most important thinkers of the eighteenth century.įinally, dashes can be used to create a break in a thought–they force the reader to stop for a fraction of a second before continuing on to whatever idea comes next.
#DASH MEANING IN WRITING FULL#
The information that follows the dash does not have to be a full sentence (although it’s perfectly fine if it is).Ĭorrect: John Locke was one of the most important thinkers of the eighteenth century –his writings strongly influenced The Declaration of Independence. In this case, a full, stand-alone sentence must come before the dash. You can assume that almost every ACT, and most SATs, will contain at least one question testing dashes this way.Ģ) To introduce an explanation or a list (Dash = Colon) Incorrect: John Locke –whose writings strongly influenced The Declaration of Independence, was one of the most important thinkers of the eighteenth century.Ĭorrect: John Locke –whose writings strongly influenced The Declaration of Independence –was one of the most important thinkers of the eighteenth century. This is the most important rule regarding dashes that you need to know. It cannot be omitted or replaced by a comma or by any other punctuation mark. If you have one dash, you need the other dash. In this case, dashes are used exactly like commas to indicate non-essential information that can be removed without affecting the basic meaning of a sentence. The first is extremely common, the second less common, and the third rare.ġ) To set off a non-essential clause (2 Dashes = 2 Commas) That said, they are relatively straightforward.ĭashes are tested in three ways. Because they tend to be used more frequently in British than in American English, they are typically the least familiar type of punctuation for many students. It was some kind of jack-in-the-box–like gizmo.Dashes are a form of punctuation that is pretty much guaranteed to show up on both the ACT® English Test and the multiple-choice SAT® Writing Test.
#DASH MEANING IN WRITING HOW TO#
The coach knew how to play against a Dallas Cowboys–style offense.However, many style guides consider it proper to use an en dash if a compound word involves a multiple word proper noun or includes another hyphenated compound within it. Many compound words use a hyphen or no punctuation at all. ✅ Correct: We use between 10 and 20 rolls of paper towels a week. ❌ Incorrect: We use between 10–20 rolls of paper towels a week. ✅ Correct: She works from Monday to Friday. ❌ Incorrect: She works from Monday–Friday. Typically, it is advised not to use an en dash if using the word from or between with a range: Tight security is maintained at the US–Canada border.We looked at media coverage of the Iran–Iraq War.(The train operates on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as well as Monday and Friday.)įinally, the en dash is also used to indicate a close relationship between two things, such as two opposing forces or two members of a partnership: We rode the Monday–Friday train to Atlanta.(The months between May and September are also covered by the catalog.) I read through the May–September issue of the catalog.However, the en dash can also represent a range that includes multiple things: Years: The years 1929–1939 were very hard for Americans.Voting results: By a vote of 55–45, the chamber passed the new bill.Time limits: Most of my friends work 30–40 hour work weeks.Page numbers: Our homework problems are on pages 10–15.Many ranges and results that use an en dash involve numbers: When read aloud, the en dash is read as the word to or through. Ranges, tallies, and relationshipsĪn en dash is used to represent a range or a tally. Many style guides follow these general uses of an en dash, but you should consult your style guide or grammar resource of choice to confirm when an en dash should be used. That being said, people will often use a hyphen instead of an en dash in informal writing in many of these situations. The en dash has specific instances where it is typically used. She was in charge of several South Korea – based companies.We took the Monday – Friday bus to the zoo.The Bandwagoners defeated the Underdogs by a score of 7 – 6.
0 kommentar(er)
