34 | Dashes
34|Dashes
A dash is a horizontal line used to separate parts of a sentence—a dramatic substitute for a comma, semicolon, or colon. Your software may automatically turn two hyphens without any spaces into a dash.
34aUse a dash to indicate a sudden break in thought or shift in tone.
The dash signals that a surprise is in store: a shift in viewpoint, perhaps, or an unfinished statement.
Ivan doesn’t care which team wins—he bet on both.
I didn’t notice my parents’ accented speech—at least not at home.
34bUse a dash to introduce an explanation, an illustration, or a series.
An appositive is a word or group of words that adds information by identifying a subject or an object in a different way (see 4b).
Use a dash to add an informal preparatory pause or to introduce an appositive that needs drama or contains commas.
My advice to you is simple—stop complaining.
Longfellow wrote about three young sisters—grave Alice, laughing Allegra, and Edith with golden hair—in “The Children’s Hour.”
34cUse dashes to set off an emphatic aside or a parenthetical expression from the rest of a sentence.
It was as hot—and I mean hot—as the Fourth of July in Death Valley.
849
34dAvoid overusing dashes.
To compare dashes with commas, see 28, and with parentheses, see 35a–35b.
The dash becomes meaningless if used too often. Use it only when a comma, a colon, or parentheses don’t seem strong enough.
EXERCISE 34-1 Using Dashes
Add, remove, or replace dashes wherever appropriate in the following sentences. Some sentences may be correct. Possible Example:
I enjoy going hiking with my friend John—whom I’ve known for fifteen years.
Pedro’s new boat is spectacular: a regular seagoing Ferrari.
The Thompsons devote their weekends to their favorite pastime, eating bags of potato chips and cookies beside the warm glow of the television.
The sport of fishing—or at least some people call it a sport—is boring, dirty—and tiring.
At that time, three states in the Sunbelt, Florida, California, and Arizona, were the fastest growing in the nation.
LuLu was ecstatic when she saw her grades, all A’s!