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Can a dash be used alone?
When we hear the term dash, most of us picture the em dash. We can use these dashes in pairs, as we would use parentheses—that is, to enclose a word, or a phrase, or a clause (as we’ve done here)—or they can be used alone to detach one end of a sentence from its main body.
What does a long dash between words mean?
An em dash is most often used to indicate a pause in a sentence. It’s stronger than a comma, but weaker than a period or semicolon.
Is there a dash between long and term?
When talking about the ‘long term’, we are talking about the noun ‘term’ which is described by the adjective ‘long’. Example: We are planning for the long term. However, when the entire phrase is used to describe something else, a hyphen is used to show this. It’s called a compound adjective.
What is a single dash called?
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to represent a dash – like this. American usage, in contrast, uses two consecutive hyphens — like this (A).
Do you need an independent clause before a dash?
When you write a sentence with one em dash, check that at least one side is an independent clause. If neither side can stand alone, the sentence isn’t working. When you write a sentence with two em dashes, cover up the words between the dashes and see if the sentence makes sense without them.
Is long-term 1 or 2 words?
Long-term with a hyphen, as in long-term disability, is the correct form. The confusion probably comes from the fact that a similar adjective, longtime, is now widely accepted in dictionaries and stylebooks as hyphenless. That isn’t the case with long-term, though, at least in the short-term.
What is the difference between a short dash and a long dash?
The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
Where do you use the long dash?
Em dashes are often used to set off parenthetical information. Using em dashes instead of parentheses puts the focus on the information between the em dashes. For this usage, make sure you use two em dashes. Use one before the parenthetical information and one after it.
When to use an em dash ( long dash )?
The long dash is the widest of the three horizontal marks that may be used in the middle of a sentence. It is wider than an en dash (–) or a hyphen (-). The term “em dash” comes from the field of typography—an “em” is a width equivalent to the height of a given font.
Can a Double Dash match a single dash?
Thus a processing routine would need to be able to differentiate between the two. If I read a single dash, -, then the rest of the command line argument can match multiple options. If I read a double dash, –, then the rest of the command line argument must match a single option.
When do you use long dashes in writing?
Short dashes show a range or connect words when the word to or and is implied. Long dashes in writing A long dash’s primary job is to tell the reader that you’ve jumped tracks onto a new (though related) subject, just for a moment. Here are some examples:
What’s the difference between a short dash and a long dash?
Long dashes — what grammarians call em dashes — are dramatic. Those long straight lines draw your eye and hold your attention. But long dashes aren’t just show-offs. They insert information into a sentence and introduce lists. Short dashes — technically, en dashes — aren’t as showy as their wider cousins, but they’re still useful.