{"id":960,"date":"2016-04-14T17:29:39","date_gmt":"2016-04-14T17:29:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=960"},"modified":"2016-07-15T22:39:27","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T22:39:27","slug":"hyphens-and-dashes-4-6-6","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/waymaker-level1-english-gen\/chapter\/hyphens-and-dashes-4-6-6\/","title":{"raw":"Text: Hyphens and Dashes","rendered":"Text: Hyphens and Dashes"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Hyphens<\/h2>\r\n<div class=\"content clear-block\">\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-1768\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04172059\/hyphen-1024x577.png\" alt=\"hyphen\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><em>The Oxford Manual of Style<\/em> once stated, \u201cIf you take hyphens seriously you will surely go mad.\u201d Hyphens belong to that category of punctuation marks that will hurt your brain if you think about them too hard, and, like commas, people disagree about their use in certain situations. Nevertheless, you will have to use them regularly because of the nature of academic\u00a0and professional\u00a0writing. If you learn to use hyphens properly, they help you to write efficiently and concretely.\r\n<h3>The Hyphen's Function<\/h3>\r\nFundamentally, the hyphen is a joiner. It can join several different types of things:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>two nouns to make one complete word (kilogram-meter)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>an adjective and a noun to make a compound word (accident-prone)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>two words that, when linked, describe a noun (agreed-upon sum, two-dimensional object)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>a prefix with a noun (un-American)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>double numbers (twenty-four)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>numbers and units describing a noun (1000-foot face; a 10-meter difference)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>\u201cself\u201d words (self-employed, self-esteem)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>new word blends (cancer-causing, cost-effective)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>prefixes and suffixes to words, in particular when the writer wants to avoid doubling a vowel or tripling a consonant (anti-inflammatory; shell-like)<\/li>\r\n \t<li>multiple adjectives with the same noun (blue- and\u00a0yellow-green beads; four- and five-year-olds)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nA\u00a0rule of thumb\u00a0for the hyphen is that the resulting word must act as one unit; therefore, the hyphen creates a new word that has a single meaning. Usually, you can tell whether a hyphen is necessary by applying common sense and mentally excluding one of the words in question, testing how the words would work together without the hyphen. For example, the phrases \u201chigh-pressure system,\u201d \u201cwater-repellent surface,\u201d and \u201cfuel-efficient car\u201d would not make sense without hyphens, because you would not refer to a \u201chigh system,\u201d a \u201cwater surface,\u201d or a \u201cfuel car.\u201d As your ears and eyes become attuned to proper hyphenation practices, you will recognize that both meaning and convention dictate where hyphens fit best.\r\n<h3>Examples of Properly Used Hyphens<\/h3>\r\nSome examples of properly used hyphens follow. Note how the hyphenated word acts as a single unit carrying a meaning that the words being joined would not have individually.\r\n<table>\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>small-scale study<\/td>\r\n<td>two-prong plug<\/td>\r\n<td>strength-to-weight ratio<\/td>\r\n<td>high-velocity flow<\/td>\r\n<td>frost-free lawn<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>self-employed worker<\/td>\r\n<td>one-third majority<\/td>\r\n<td>coarse-grained wood<\/td>\r\n<td>decision-making process<\/td>\r\n<td>blue-green algae<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>air-ice interface<\/td>\r\n<td>silver-stained cells<\/td>\r\n<td>protein-calorie malnutrition<\/td>\r\n<td>membrane-bound vesicles<\/td>\r\n<td>phase-contrast microscope<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>long-term-payment loan<\/td>\r\n<td>\u00a0cost-effective program<\/td>\r\n<td>\u00a0time-dependent variable<\/td>\r\n<td>radiation-sensitive sample<\/td>\r\n<td>\u00a0long-chain fatty acid<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>When Hyphens Are Not Needed<\/h3>\r\nBy convention, hyphens are not used after\u00a0words ending in -<em>ly<\/em>, nor when the words are so commonly used in combination that no ambiguity results. In these examples, no hyphens are needed:\r\n<table width=\"400\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>finely tuned engine<\/td>\r\n<td>blood pressure<\/td>\r\n<td>sea level<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>real estate<\/td>\r\n<td>census taker<\/td>\r\n<td>atomic energy<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>civil rights law<\/td>\r\n<td>public utility plant<\/td>\r\n<td>carbon dioxide<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\n<strong>Note:<\/strong> Phrases like containing the word <em>well<\/em> like\u00a0<em>well known<\/em> are contested.\u00a0<em>Well<\/em> is an adverb, and thus many fall into the school of thought that a hyphen is unnecessary. However, others say that leaving out the\u00a0hyphen may cause confusion and therefore include it (<em>well-known<\/em>). The standard in MLA is\u00a0as follows: When\u00a0it appears before the noun,\u00a0<em>well known<\/em> should be hyphenated. When it follows the noun, no hyphenation is needed.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>She is\u00a0a <strong>well-known<\/strong> person.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>She is <strong>well known<\/strong>.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h3>Prefixes and Suffixes<\/h3>\r\nMost prefixes do not need to be hyphenated; they are simply added in front of a noun, with no spaces and no joining punctuation necessary. The following is a list of common prefixes that do not require hyphenation when added to a noun:\r\n<table width=\"400\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>after<\/td>\r\n<td>anti<\/td>\r\n<td>bi<\/td>\r\n<td>bio<\/td>\r\n<td>co<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>cyber<\/td>\r\n<td>di<\/td>\r\n<td>down<\/td>\r\n<td>hetero<\/td>\r\n<td>homo<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>infra<\/td>\r\n<td>inter<\/td>\r\n<td>macro<\/td>\r\n<td>micro<\/td>\r\n<td>mini<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>nano<\/td>\r\n<td>photo<\/td>\r\n<td>poly<\/td>\r\n<td>stereo<\/td>\r\n<td>thermo<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\r\n\r\n<strong>Note:<\/strong> The prefix\u00a0<em>re<\/em> generally doesn't require a hyphen. However, when leaving out a hyphen will cause confusion, one should be added. Look at the following word pairs, for example:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><em>resign<\/em> (leave a position) v. <em>re-sign<\/em> (sign the paper again)<\/li>\r\n \t<li><em>recreation<\/em>\u00a0(an activity of leisure) v. <em>re-creation\u00a0<\/em>(create something again)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\nCommon suffixes also do not require hyphenation, assuming no ambiguities of spelling or pronunciation arise. Typically, you do not need to hyphenate words ending in the following suffixes:\r\n<table width=\"400\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>able<\/td>\r\n<td>less<\/td>\r\n<td>fold<\/td>\r\n<td>like<\/td>\r\n<td>wise<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<h3>Commonly Used Word Blends<\/h3>\r\nAlso, especially in technical fields, some words commonly used in succession become joined into one. The resulting word\u2019s meaning is readily understood by technical readers, and no hyphen is necessary. Here are some examples of such word blends, typically written as single words:\r\n<table width=\"400\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>blackbody<\/td>\r\n<td>groundwater<\/td>\r\n<td>airship<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>downdraft<\/td>\r\n<td>longwall<\/td>\r\n<td>upload<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td>setup<\/td>\r\n<td>runoff<\/td>\r\n<td>blowout<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Students can participate in (self paced\/self-paced) learning.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Rather than sit in a (two hour-long\/two-hour long\/two-hour-long) class, students can study at their convenience.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Would you like the (three or four-course\/three- or four-course) meal tonight?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>He's behaving in a very (childlike\/child-like) manner.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"326425\"]<strong>Click to Show Answers<\/strong>[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"326425\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Students can participate in <strong>self-paced<\/strong>\u00a0learning.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Rather than sit in a <strong>two-hour-long<\/strong> class, students can study at their convenience.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Would you like the <strong>three- or four-course<\/strong> meal tonight?<\/li>\r\n \t<li>He's behaving in a very <strong>childlike<\/strong> manner.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Dashes<\/h2>\r\n<img class=\"alignright wp-image-1769\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04172125\/em-1024x575.png\" alt=\"an icon showing an em dash, which is a straight line approximately the length of the letter m.\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/>The dash\u00a0functions almost as a colon does in that it adds to the preceding material, but with extra emphasis. Like a caesura (a timely pause) in music, a dash indicates a strong pause, then gives emphasis to material following the pause. In effect, a dash allows you to <em>redefine <\/em>what was just written, making it more explicit. You can also use a dash as it is used in the first sentence of this paragraph: to frame an interruptive or parenthetical-type comment that you do not want to de-emphasize.\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Jill Emery confirms that Muslim populations have typically been ruled by non-Muslims\u2014specifically Americans, Russians, Israelis, and the French.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>The dissolution took 20 minutes\u2014much longer than anticipated\u2014but measurements were begun as soon as the process was completed.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">There is no \"dash\" button on a computer keyboard. Instead, create it by typing the hyphen button twice in a row; or use the \"symbol\" option in your word processor; or use the Mac shortcut option + shift +\u00a0\u2014.<\/div>\r\nWhen you type the hyphen\u00a0or\u00a0dash, no spaces should appear on either side of the punctuation mark.\r\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\r\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\r\nIs the dash used correctly in the following sentences?\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>A good leader should be\u2014passionate, patient, productive and positive.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Politicians want to serve and improve the lives of people\u2014really!<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Life is ninety per cent perspiration\u2014my kindergarten teacher told me\u2014and ten per cent inspiration.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Mayor Lee wants all city employees to ride bicycles to work\u2014what is he thinking\u2014on fair-weather days.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[reveal-answer q=\"624972\"]<strong>Click to Show Answers<\/strong>[\/reveal-answer]\r\n[hidden-answer a=\"624972\"]\r\n<ol>\r\n \t<li>Incorrect. Normally, a noun precedes the series of examples: A good leader has several qualities \u2014 passion, patience and positivity.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Correct. A dash can join a short affirmation of what has just been said. [Really! Truly! Indeed!]<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Correct. Dashes can be used to mark a sudden break in thought.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Correct. Though very informal, dashes can be used for sudden breaks in thought. Note that the comment is very loosely related to the central idea of the sentence.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[\/hidden-answer]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2><div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/16eTol4E4_IeEoUJHSYIiHgiaqx4sL-r15K67EnGYnRg\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a>","rendered":"<h2>Hyphens<\/h2>\n<div class=\"content clear-block\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1768\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04172059\/hyphen-1024x577.png\" alt=\"hyphen\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" \/><em>The Oxford Manual of Style<\/em> once stated, \u201cIf you take hyphens seriously you will surely go mad.\u201d Hyphens belong to that category of punctuation marks that will hurt your brain if you think about them too hard, and, like commas, people disagree about their use in certain situations. Nevertheless, you will have to use them regularly because of the nature of academic\u00a0and professional\u00a0writing. If you learn to use hyphens properly, they help you to write efficiently and concretely.<\/p>\n<h3>The Hyphen&#8217;s Function<\/h3>\n<p>Fundamentally, the hyphen is a joiner. It can join several different types of things:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>two nouns to make one complete word (kilogram-meter)<\/li>\n<li>an adjective and a noun to make a compound word (accident-prone)<\/li>\n<li>two words that, when linked, describe a noun (agreed-upon sum, two-dimensional object)<\/li>\n<li>a prefix with a noun (un-American)<\/li>\n<li>double numbers (twenty-four)<\/li>\n<li>numbers and units describing a noun (1000-foot face; a 10-meter difference)<\/li>\n<li>\u201cself\u201d words (self-employed, self-esteem)<\/li>\n<li>new word blends (cancer-causing, cost-effective)<\/li>\n<li>prefixes and suffixes to words, in particular when the writer wants to avoid doubling a vowel or tripling a consonant (anti-inflammatory; shell-like)<\/li>\n<li>multiple adjectives with the same noun (blue- and\u00a0yellow-green beads; four- and five-year-olds)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A\u00a0rule of thumb\u00a0for the hyphen is that the resulting word must act as one unit; therefore, the hyphen creates a new word that has a single meaning. Usually, you can tell whether a hyphen is necessary by applying common sense and mentally excluding one of the words in question, testing how the words would work together without the hyphen. For example, the phrases \u201chigh-pressure system,\u201d \u201cwater-repellent surface,\u201d and \u201cfuel-efficient car\u201d would not make sense without hyphens, because you would not refer to a \u201chigh system,\u201d a \u201cwater surface,\u201d or a \u201cfuel car.\u201d As your ears and eyes become attuned to proper hyphenation practices, you will recognize that both meaning and convention dictate where hyphens fit best.<\/p>\n<h3>Examples of Properly Used Hyphens<\/h3>\n<p>Some examples of properly used hyphens follow. Note how the hyphenated word acts as a single unit carrying a meaning that the words being joined would not have individually.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>small-scale study<\/td>\n<td>two-prong plug<\/td>\n<td>strength-to-weight ratio<\/td>\n<td>high-velocity flow<\/td>\n<td>frost-free lawn<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>self-employed worker<\/td>\n<td>one-third majority<\/td>\n<td>coarse-grained wood<\/td>\n<td>decision-making process<\/td>\n<td>blue-green algae<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>air-ice interface<\/td>\n<td>silver-stained cells<\/td>\n<td>protein-calorie malnutrition<\/td>\n<td>membrane-bound vesicles<\/td>\n<td>phase-contrast microscope<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>long-term-payment loan<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0cost-effective program<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0time-dependent variable<\/td>\n<td>radiation-sensitive sample<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0long-chain fatty acid<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>When Hyphens Are Not Needed<\/h3>\n<p>By convention, hyphens are not used after\u00a0words ending in &#8211;<em>ly<\/em>, nor when the words are so commonly used in combination that no ambiguity results. In these examples, no hyphens are needed:<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" style=\"width: 400px; border-spacing: 1px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>finely tuned engine<\/td>\n<td>blood pressure<\/td>\n<td>sea level<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>real estate<\/td>\n<td>census taker<\/td>\n<td>atomic energy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>civil rights law<\/td>\n<td>public utility plant<\/td>\n<td>carbon dioxide<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Phrases like containing the word <em>well<\/em> like\u00a0<em>well known<\/em> are contested.\u00a0<em>Well<\/em> is an adverb, and thus many fall into the school of thought that a hyphen is unnecessary. However, others say that leaving out the\u00a0hyphen may cause confusion and therefore include it (<em>well-known<\/em>). The standard in MLA is\u00a0as follows: When\u00a0it appears before the noun,\u00a0<em>well known<\/em> should be hyphenated. When it follows the noun, no hyphenation is needed.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>She is\u00a0a <strong>well-known<\/strong> person.<\/li>\n<li>She is <strong>well known<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Prefixes and Suffixes<\/h3>\n<p>Most prefixes do not need to be hyphenated; they are simply added in front of a noun, with no spaces and no joining punctuation necessary. The following is a list of common prefixes that do not require hyphenation when added to a noun:<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" style=\"width: 400px; border-spacing: 1px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>after<\/td>\n<td>anti<\/td>\n<td>bi<\/td>\n<td>bio<\/td>\n<td>co<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>cyber<\/td>\n<td>di<\/td>\n<td>down<\/td>\n<td>hetero<\/td>\n<td>homo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>infra<\/td>\n<td>inter<\/td>\n<td>macro<\/td>\n<td>micro<\/td>\n<td>mini<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>nano<\/td>\n<td>photo<\/td>\n<td>poly<\/td>\n<td>stereo<\/td>\n<td>thermo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> The prefix\u00a0<em>re<\/em> generally doesn&#8217;t require a hyphen. However, when leaving out a hyphen will cause confusion, one should be added. Look at the following word pairs, for example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>resign<\/em> (leave a position) v. <em>re-sign<\/em> (sign the paper again)<\/li>\n<li><em>recreation<\/em>\u00a0(an activity of leisure) v. <em>re-creation\u00a0<\/em>(create something again)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Common suffixes also do not require hyphenation, assuming no ambiguities of spelling or pronunciation arise. Typically, you do not need to hyphenate words ending in the following suffixes:<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" style=\"width: 400px; border-spacing: 1px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>able<\/td>\n<td>less<\/td>\n<td>fold<\/td>\n<td>like<\/td>\n<td>wise<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3>Commonly Used Word Blends<\/h3>\n<p>Also, especially in technical fields, some words commonly used in succession become joined into one. The resulting word\u2019s meaning is readily understood by technical readers, and no hyphen is necessary. Here are some examples of such word blends, typically written as single words:<\/p>\n<table cellpadding=\"1\" style=\"width: 400px; border-spacing: 1px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>blackbody<\/td>\n<td>groundwater<\/td>\n<td>airship<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>downdraft<\/td>\n<td>longwall<\/td>\n<td>upload<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>setup<\/td>\n<td>runoff<\/td>\n<td>blowout<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>Students can participate in (self paced\/self-paced) learning.<\/li>\n<li>Rather than sit in a (two hour-long\/two-hour long\/two-hour-long) class, students can study at their convenience.<\/li>\n<li>Would you like the (three or four-course\/three- or four-course) meal tonight?<\/li>\n<li>He&#8217;s behaving in a very (childlike\/child-like) manner.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q326425\"><strong>Click to Show Answers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q326425\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>Students can participate in <strong>self-paced<\/strong>\u00a0learning.<\/li>\n<li>Rather than sit in a <strong>two-hour-long<\/strong> class, students can study at their convenience.<\/li>\n<li>Would you like the <strong>three- or four-course<\/strong> meal tonight?<\/li>\n<li>He&#8217;s behaving in a very <strong>childlike<\/strong> manner.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Dashes<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-1769\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/85\/2016\/05\/04172125\/em-1024x575.png\" alt=\"an icon showing an em dash, which is a straight line approximately the length of the letter m.\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/>The dash\u00a0functions almost as a colon does in that it adds to the preceding material, but with extra emphasis. Like a caesura (a timely pause) in music, a dash indicates a strong pause, then gives emphasis to material following the pause. In effect, a dash allows you to <em>redefine <\/em>what was just written, making it more explicit. You can also use a dash as it is used in the first sentence of this paragraph: to frame an interruptive or parenthetical-type comment that you do not want to de-emphasize.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Jill Emery confirms that Muslim populations have typically been ruled by non-Muslims\u2014specifically Americans, Russians, Israelis, and the French.<\/li>\n<li>The dissolution took 20 minutes\u2014much longer than anticipated\u2014but measurements were begun as soon as the process was completed.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"textbox shaded\">There is no &#8220;dash&#8221; button on a computer keyboard. Instead, create it by typing the hyphen button twice in a row; or use the &#8220;symbol&#8221; option in your word processor; or use the Mac shortcut option + shift +\u00a0\u2014.<\/div>\n<p>When you type the hyphen\u00a0or\u00a0dash, no spaces should appear on either side of the punctuation mark.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox key-takeaways\">\n<h3>Practice<\/h3>\n<p>Is the dash used correctly in the following sentences?<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>A good leader should be\u2014passionate, patient, productive and positive.<\/li>\n<li>Politicians want to serve and improve the lives of people\u2014really!<\/li>\n<li>Life is ninety per cent perspiration\u2014my kindergarten teacher told me\u2014and ten per cent inspiration.<\/li>\n<li>Mayor Lee wants all city employees to ride bicycles to work\u2014what is he thinking\u2014on fair-weather days.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"qa-wrapper\" style=\"display: block\"><span class=\"show-answer collapsed\" style=\"cursor: pointer\" data-target=\"q624972\"><strong>Click to Show Answers<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"q624972\" class=\"hidden-answer\" style=\"display: none\">\n<ol>\n<li>Incorrect. Normally, a noun precedes the series of examples: A good leader has several qualities \u2014 passion, patience and positivity.<\/li>\n<li>Correct. A dash can join a short affirmation of what has just been said. [Really! Truly! Indeed!]<\/li>\n<li>Correct. Dashes can be used to mark a sudden break in thought.<\/li>\n<li>Correct. Though very informal, dashes can be used for sudden breaks in thought. Note that the comment is very loosely related to the central idea of the sentence.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Contribute!<\/h2>\n<div style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\">Did you have an idea for improving this content? We\u2019d love your input.<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/16eTol4E4_IeEoUJHSYIiHgiaqx4sL-r15K67EnGYnRg\" target=\"_blank\" style=\"font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 600; color: #077fab; text-decoration: none; border: 2px solid #077fab; border-radius: 7px; padding: 5px 25px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.5em;\">Improve this page<\/a><a style=\"margin-left: 16px;\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/document\/d\/1vy-T6DtTF-BbMfpVEI7VP_R7w2A4anzYZLXR8Pk4Fu4\">Learn More<\/a><\/p>\n\n\t\t\t <section class=\"citations-section\" role=\"contentinfo\">\n\t\t\t <h3>Candela Citations<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t <div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <div id=\"citation-list-960\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <div class=\"licensing\"><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Original<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Revision and Adaptation. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of hyphen. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Image of en-dash. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Lumen Learning. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/\">CC BY: Attribution<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><div class=\"license-attribution-dropdown-subheading\">CC licensed content, Shared previously<\/div><ul class=\"citation-list\"><li>Style For Students Online. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Joe Schall. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: The Pennsylvania State University. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\">https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/<\/a>. <strong>Project<\/strong>: Penn State&#039;s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences&#039; OER Initiative. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Hyphens &amp; Capitalization in Headings. <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Julie Sevastopoulos. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Grammar-Quizzes. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.grammar-quizzes.com\/punc-hyphen.html\">http:\/\/www.grammar-quizzes.com\/punc-hyphen.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><li>Dashes (em dash). <strong>Authored by<\/strong>: Julie Sevastopoulos. <strong>Provided by<\/strong>: Grammar-Quizzes. <strong>Located at<\/strong>: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.grammar-quizzes.com\/punc-dashes.html\">http:\/\/www.grammar-quizzes.com\/punc-dashes.html<\/a>. <strong>License<\/strong>: <em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"license\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike<\/a><\/em><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n\t\t\t <\/section>","protected":false},"author":17,"menu_order":45,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"{\"0\":{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Style For Students Online\",\"author\":\"Joe Schall\",\"organization\":\"The Pennsylvania State University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.e-education.psu.edu\/styleforstudents\/\",\"project\":\"Penn State\\'s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences\\' OER 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