How To Use Single Dashes
The single dash is normally a feature of informal english and is used especially in narrative to create suspense or to indicate that what follows is.
How to use single dashes. If you think back to last week we said that a colon needed an independent clause to the left of it and that there were three things that could go to the right. Using dashes to extend sentences. Dashes are used as punctuation in sentences. When used with numbers en dashes can generally be read as to or through for example if you read the statement pages 182 197 out loud it would sound like pages 182 through 197. See the following examples.
An en dash is most commonly used to indicate a range of numbers like pages 182 197 in a book or an event happening from 1 p m 5 p m. When the dash is used in this way it creates a compound adjective. Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways. Find out more in a bitesize ks2 english guide. Pamela sat upright in.
Where parentheses indicate that the reader should put less emphasis on the enclosed material dashes indicate that the reader should pay more attention to the material between the dashes. Hyphens are shorter than dashes and are used to connect words. Use an en dash when you need to connect terms that are already hyphenated or when you are using a two word phrase as a modifier. The material inside the dashes relates to the information in the rest of the sentence but it acts as an interruption to the main point that you re making. A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence.
There is was again that creak on the staircase. The information inside the dashes is off topic. If you re a stickler for the rules use an en dash in your adjective. You will get away with a hyphen. Those rules also apply to single dashes.
Do not use an em dash. A list an elaboration or summary or another independent clause. An afterthought or something to be emphasised. To do a find and or replace plug the code into either the find what or replace with text boxes to search for or replace with an em dash. Using dashes in compound adjectives with equal parts a dash can replace a hyphen in a compound adjective with two equal elements.