More on Punctuation

The Dash –dash

A dash indicates a dramatic pause. The dash gives special emphasis to the words that the dash separates from the rest of the sentence.

Example:

Bee stings usually—but not always—cause me to have a seizure.

Dashes are also used to set off a list, a restatement, for amplification, or a dramatic shift in tone or thought.

Examples:

At the back counter are the meats—chicken, fish, sliced deli meats, and steaks. (Here a colon could be used instead of the dash.)

Consider the amount of sugar in the average person’s diet—103 pounds per year. (A colon could also be used here instead of the dash.)

Everywhere we looked were happy Americans—a sparkler in one hand and their heads turned up to the sky.

Vanessa dribbled the ball, ran down the court, threw the ball—and the missed the shot.

The dash can also be used to signal the end of a list of items.

Example:

A two-mile jog, forty-five minutes of weight lifting, and one hundred push-ups—that’s how my personal training wants me to begin my day.

To type a dash, type two hyphens. Do not add a space before or after a dash.

Do not over use the dash. It will make your writing sloppy and choppy, and the dash will lose its dramatic affect.