Transcript Dashes #49

Composition Mini-Lesson #49
DASHES
From the UWF Writing Lab’s 101 Grammar Mini-Lesson Series
Dashes are constructed of two side-by-side hyphens and, like
commas and parentheses, set off nonessential information in a
sentence such as nonrestrictive modifiers and parenthetical
expressions. Unlike commas or parentheses, however, dashes
give this set-off information greater emphasis.
Use a dash to indicate sudden shifts in tone, new or unfinished
thoughts, and hesitations in dialogue: If she found out—he did not
want to think what she would do.
Use a dash to set off introductory series and concluding series
and explanations: The country was the most beautiful he had
seen—green, rolling hills dotted with stands of dark pine and
etched with stone walls.
Keep in mind that word processors sometimes remove the seam
visible in a dash so that it no longer looks like two hyphens stuck
together. It should still be a dash, however, as long as you continue
to construct it with two consecutive keystrokes from the hyphen
key.
Consider the following sentences, adding or deleting dashes where
necessary.
• What would we do if someone like Adolph Hitler that monster
appeared among us?
• What would we do if someone like Adolph Hitler—that
monster—appeared among us?
• Although Betsy took up massage somebody had told her that it
would increase her human potential she soon discovered that
she was too ticklish.
• Although Betsy took up massage—somebody had told her that it
would increase her human potential—she soon discovered that
she was too ticklish.
Consider the following sentences, adding or deleting dashes where
necessary.
• Narcissus—the most modern of mythological lovers, fell in love
with himself.
Avoid mixing punctuation when setting off nonessential
information as the above example does.
• Narcissus—the most modern of mythological lovers—fell in love
with himself.
OR
• Narcissus, the most modern of mythological lovers, fell in love
with himself.