How To Use Dashes And Colons
Explain dashes and when they are commonly used.
How to use dashes and colons. We use colons for five things would make a perfectly good sentence. Use a dash in place of a colon use an em dash instead of a colon when you want to emphasize the conclusion of your sentence without giving it all of the connotations that a colon brings. They are more formal than dashes. Yet after witnessing the semicolon being used incorrectly more often than not i prefer to simply recommend the dash instead especially as i have a fondness for it as my overuse of it in this article alone indicates. Some authors such as novelist kurt vonnegut jr would prefer to do away with the semicolon altogether.
The sentence above is the perfect example. After reading the handout you will be better able to decide when to use these forms of punctuation in your own writing. Hyphens en dashes and em dashes. The short dash used to show a syllable break or to form a compound term such as in class assignment. We use colons in writing for five things.
At the end of an independent clause a group of words that could feasibly stand alone as a complete sentence that is followed by a list. Do not use a colon if the list or explanation is connected to the sentence without a complete stop. It is also less formal than a colon. A colon informs readers that something more is coming along. After all the dash adds the same length of pause as a semicolon but without the risk it s almost impossible to screw up.
These three punctuation marks semicolons colons and dashes are most effective when they re used sparingly. The two hobbies before the colon are defined after the colon as cooking and bothering aardvark. However em dashes are more emphatic than colons. This handout explains the most common uses of three kinds of punctuation. The meeting is scheduled to run from 4 30 5 45.
The words after a colon define or clarify what came before the colon. Colons enable a writer to introduce a clause that amplifies whatever came before the colon. Colons dashes hyphens and parentheses 1. A dash can add extra information and is more flexible in this way. Semicolons colons and dashes.