Hyphens, En-dashes and Em-dashes
Hyphens, en-dashes and em-dashes are frequently used punctuation marks that are just as frequently misunderstood. All three marks are essentially horizontal lines, though their lengths vary. However, these three different marks have very different purposes, and using a hyphen to do an m-dashs job is just as much of a punctuation error as using a question mark in place of a comma. The Hyphen The hyphen is a short horizontal line that is used in some compound words and is also used to connect prefixes to main words. Examples: twenty-four, mother-in-law, pro-American, pre-law, go- between, ill-fated and run-of-the-mill, pre-trial, non-statutory It is the shortest in length of the three. It is used to divide words that break at the end of a line, or to connect parts of compound words. Example: In a trial, a Southern small town prosecuting attorney called his first witness to the stand.
It is also used to make phrasal adjectives, which are adjectives made up of more than one word. Examples: health-care provider, real-estate purchase.
Note: Not all compounds are hyphenated (bathroom, dragonfly, jet plane, log cabin, etc.), nor are all prefixes and suffixes (coworker, postmodern, etc.). When you are unsure whether or not a compound word needs a hyphen, check a reliable dictionary such as The Oxford English Dictionary, Websters Collegiate Dictionary, or The American Heritage Dictionary. The hyphen is easily found on the keyboard to the right of the zero. The Dash En dash The en dash is longer than the hyphen. It is used to indicate a range of values, such as a span of time or numerical quantities (similar to using the words to and from); Remember, there is no space between the en dash and the number or word it follows or precedes. Examples: 19982000 pages 1243 Dallas beat Washington 14-10. Mary Johnson (1984) 9 AM 5 PM Monday Friday ages 5 8.
It can also be used in a compound adjective where one or more of the words involved is an open or hyphenated compound. The en dash hyphenates the compound words. Examples: a twenty-oneletter word the New YorkParis flight the postWorld War II years It can be used to enclose a sub- clause in a sentence. This can be a handy way to clarify sentences which might otherwise be filled with confusing commas. Example: Very few - in fact almost none - of the lawyers working in this city have additional expertise in accountancy. Sometimes, for purely aesthetic reasons, a designer will use the en-dash in place of emdashes throughout a document, or will add a small amount of space before and after either dash. These stylistic preferences are perfectly acceptable consider them a form of artistic license! and can be used to improve the color and texture of your type when the size and spacing of the em-dash is not to your liking. Just remember to be consistent throughout to avoid a jumble of varying styles. Note: In Microsoft Word, an en dash can be made by pressing Ctrl+Num- (Control and the minus sign on the number pad). On a Mac, press Alt+Hyphen. Em dash The em dash is the longest horizontal line of punctuation among the three. Its main use is to indicate an abrupt shift in emphasis or direction from the main sentence. Just like en dash, there is no space between the em dash and the words that it separates. Examples: Eating broccoli hasn't killed anyoneyet. A strong father figure in the home is essential especially for opening jars. It is also used to set off parenthetical material (interjectory informationoften an explanation or extra commentary), much like a pair of parentheses or commas. Examples: 1. The greatest modernist writersEliot, Joyce, Woolfwere all very welleducated. 2. Jorge Luis Borgeswho some have called "the greatest writer in the Spanish language"published his first book of short stories in London. 3. The greatest Renaissance paintersDa Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael were all Italian. 4. Mr. Johnsonthe one who screams at his kids' soccer gameswas hit in the head by a stray soccer ball. 5. I wasI know I wasleaving work when the phone rang.
It can set off an introductory subject (or series of subjects) from the pronoun that is part of the main clause. Examples: 1. Eating, drinking, and sleepingsuch was all that lawyer was good for. 2. Heaventhat was his ultimate goal. It can also be used as a substitute for the word to. Example: The proposed route is HelsinkiLondonNew YorkHelsinki. It can be used in place of a colon if you want to emphasize more dramatically the words that follow. Example: The mantle-piece was lined with photographs of people she lovedher mother, her grandmother, a favorite aunt. It can be used to add a surprising element into a sentence. Example: Her family's photographs were displayed on the mantlepiece; there were pictures of parents, grandparents, and siblingsand of Muffin, a Yorkshire terrier. Note: In Microsoft Word, an em dash can be created by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Num- (Control, Alt, and the minus key on the number pad). On a Mac, press Alt+Shift+Hyphen
