How To Use A Pair Of Dashes

To properly use a dash in an english sentence start by identifying which dash you should use.

How to use a pair of dashes. Find out more in a bitesize ks2 english guide. Using dashes to credit quotations you can use an em dash to credit a quote to someone. A hyphen should not be used in place of a dash. There are three forms of dashes. Place em dashes around non essential information or a list in the middle of a sentence like you would with commas.

The most common types of dashes are the en dash and the em dash. Make sure not to confuse dashes with shorter hyphens which are used to combine words as in well behaved or long running. Make sure your students are prepared for the spag crusade. Take it out and the sentence makes sense. The words between a pair of dashes may or may not form a complete sentence.

In this case it takes a space on either side. Em en and the double hyphen. How to use a pair of dashes impressively for maximum effect. For your homework read pages 49 64. The en dash is sometimes also used in the same way as an em dash.

Because this kind of series serves as a dramatic interruption within the sentence and may even have commas you must use the dash before it and after it. It s a technique that can be useful in writing an appellate brief where lengthy and complex sentences are not uncommon. Use a longer em dash to join independent clauses with words like and but as or and for. I hope this discussion and these examples show how the use of a pair of dashes can be used to effectively set off and thus bring attention to a statement made within the middle of a lengthy sentence. It s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause.

A good way to remember the difference between these two dashes is to visualize the en dash as the length of the letter n and the em dash as the length of the letter m. It s an em dash before peter sellers and an en dash between 1925 and 1980 note. Presentation to include definitions examples sentence starters and extension work. To create an en dash using a keyboard on a windows based system hold down the alt key and simultaneously type 0150. You have to use an em dash when crediting.