12/19/2023 0 Comments En dash usage![]() The en-dash may stand in for the phrase from. One caveat: don’t mix words and the en-dash. The partner’s 26–7 trial record speaks for itself.Īlabama beat Auburn, 28–17, on Saturday. The board voted 6–3 in favor of the amendment. Oxford American Dictionary 217–19 (1st ed. Its principal use is as an equivalent of to when marking a span or range of dates, page numbers, scores, and the like: It never takes a space before or after the mark. The en-dash (–) is shorter than an em-dash (-) and longer than a hyphen (-). Conscientious writers know how to use the en-dash correctly conscientious readers will appreciate the writer’s effort to effectively distinguish between the marks. The en-dash is distinct from the hyphen and the em-dash. High-Stakes Briefing & Appellate Briefing.Step-by-Step Instructions and Troubleshooting.Policies and Information for In-Person Public Seminars.Policies and Information for Live Online Seminars.Academy of American Legal Writers Menu Toggle. ![]() Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts.Drafting & Editing Contracts (half-day).In-House Seminars & Trainings Menu Toggle.With a little bit of practice, knowing when you properly use em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens in your writing will gradually become second nature to you! About the Authorĭanielle S is a top-rated freelance writer and editor, available for hire through the WriterAccess platform. Throughout her career, she’s completed more than 10,000 assignments for her clients-including blog posts, press releases, how-to articles, SEO-optimized articles, newsletters, white papers, and more. There you have it: some grammar tips regarding the use of these often-confused and pesky punctuation marks! That is, it would be grammatically incorrect to write “ the dimly-lit room”.įurthermore, hyphens can be used for other purposes in writing, such as in a hyphenated name or even to break down separate syllables of a word. On the other hand, hyphenation can become difficult because there are some specific rules as to when hyphenation should be used.įor example, adverbs ending in “-ly” generally should not be hyphenated. See a few examples of hyphenation used in compound construction below: In the simplest terms, the hyphen is used to show a relationship between two words or parts of a word-particularly when describing something else (using an adjective). The hyphen (-) is probably the most commonly used punctuation mark of the three “dashes”, and the specific punctuation rules for this little mark are also among the most confusing. “She asked me to check on her cats while she was on vacation from Thursday–Monday.” The Hyphen “I referred him to pages 47–52 in the book.” It can be helpful, when reading or writing, to think of the word “to” when you see or use an en dash. Specifically, the en dash is used when signifying a range of numbers or other values. The en dash (–) is a bit shorter than the em dash and serves a vastly different purpose when it comes to punctuation rules. In this sentence, the em dash is used in place of a comma to indicate a pause. “He loved dogs-but severe allergies prevented him from ever adopting one of his own.” And there are many situations in which it may make sense to swap out your “typical” comma with an em dash, especially when you’re looking to add a longer pause or a little more drama to your sentence. ![]() Generally, the em dash is used to separate phrases in a sentence.Ī good rule to remember is that an em dash can almost always replace a comma or parenthesis in a sentence. Let’s start with the em dash (-), which is physically the longest of the three. Still, these three punctuation marks have markedly distinct roles in the world of grammar-and knowing how to properly use them can not only improve the quality of your writing, but your confidence as well. After all, they all look pretty similar, don’t they? Poor punctuation is the most common mistake writers tend to make ( and notably, one of our top editor’s biggest pet peeves).Īnd when it comes to punctuation mistakes, most writers have been guilty of confusing the em dash, en dash, and hyphen a time or two. ![]()
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