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Can you use a hyphen as a dash?
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—).
How do you use dashes and hyphens correctly?
The dash is often used after an independent clause. The hyphen, on the other hand, is used to join two words together like yellow-green. It usually does not have a space between the words. Also, the dash tends to be slightly longer than the hyphen, and usually would have spaces before and after the symbol.
What is a correct way to use a dash in a sentence?
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!
How do you type a dash correctly?
If you find you need to type a dash, in Windows you create one by holding the Alt key and then typing 0150 on the numeric keypad. (You can learn to do this quickly and automatically, trust us!) On a Mac, press the ⌥ and – keys together.
Is there a space before a hyphen?
Sometimes confused with the hyphen, a dash comes between words as a form of division, whereas a hyphen generally joins words or parts of words to indicate a connection. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash.
What are dashes used for example?
Em dashes save the day when other punctuation would be awkward. For instance, em dashes can replace parentheses at the end of a sentence or when multiple commas appear in a parenthetical phrase. After a split second of hesitation, the second baseman leaped for the ball (or, rather, limped for it).
What is a dash example?
A dash can be used between times and dates. (A dash will usually replace the words from…to or between…and.) For example: USSR existed 1922–1991….(1) Using Dashes with Ranges (e.g., Times and Dates)
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 0800–0830 | Introduction |
| 0830–0930 | Lesson 1 |
| 0930–1230 | Lessons 2–3 |
Why do writers use a dash?
A dash is a little horizontal line that floats in the middle of a line of text (not at the bottom: that’s an underscore). It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does.