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The almighty dash—or punctuation that sets itself apart.

The almighty dash—or punctuation that sets itself apart. Dashes, when used sparingly and correctly, can be used to make your writing sound more sophisticated. Some Definitions:. A dash is stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses.

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The almighty dash—or punctuation that sets itself apart.

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  1. The almighty dash—or punctuation that sets itself apart. Dashes, when used sparingly and correctly, can be used to make your writing sound more sophisticated.

  2. Some Definitions: • A dash is stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. • The dash is a handy device, informal and essentially playful, telling you that you're about to take off on a different track, but still in some way connected with the present course — only you have to remember that the dash is there, and either put a second dash at the end of the notion to let the reader know that he's back on course, or else end the sentence, as here, with a period. Lewis Thomas *from The Elements of Style, fourth edition, by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, page 9.

  3. 3 Uses for the Dash • Indicate sudden changes in tone or thought within a sentence • The exuberant--I should say lunatic--quality of his ravings electrified the crowd. • Set off some sentence elements • To insert parenthetical commentary while emphasizing their importance (Parentheses tend to diminish the importance of what's enclosed in them) • Create emphasis • To feed, clothe, and find shelter for the needy--these are real achievements.

  4. Dashes are used to provide a pause when reading or to emphasize another thought. Students and writers often misuse it in place of other more appropriate punctuations, such as the comma, the colon and the parentheses, which serve similar functions. • Use the dash to denote a parenthetical thought. Parenthetical thoughts are mid-sentence inserts, which often clarify or supplement the thought that precedes it. A dash is often used to separate the parenthetical thought from the main idea it modifies.

  5. Examples • The first thing the lazy employees did when they arrived at work—besides slowly drinking their coffee—was to turn on their computers so the boss would think they were busy at work. • The only thing Tony could do—if he could do anything at all—was to sit and wait for the test results to come in the mail.

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