{"id":4544,"date":"2021-04-14T11:35:08","date_gmt":"2021-04-14T18:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/?p=4544"},"modified":"2021-04-17T08:55:03","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T15:55:03","slug":"when-to-use-a-dash-in-a-sentence-with-examples","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/when-to-use-a-dash-in-a-sentence-with-examples\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Use a Dash in a Sentence (with Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s difficult to find a newspaper article, book, essay, or just about any piece of English writing that doesn\u2019t contain some form of the dash symbol. In English, dashes can signify a number of different meanings. In today\u2019s guide, we will evaluate when to use a dash in a sentence and look at some common examples of dash usage.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>What is a dash symbol?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The dash symbol is a form of English punctuation. There are four basic kinds of dashes in the English language:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Figure Dash (-)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">En Dash (\u2013)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/the-em-dash-magoosh-english-speaking\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Em Dash<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> (\u2014)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swung Dash (~)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">However, one could argue that there are even more types of dashes. Some sources count hyphens and minus symbols as dashes since they have a similar appearance. Hyphens are used to connect related words, while the minus symbol is used to signify subtraction in mathematics. However, for the purposes of linguistics, neither symbol is categorized as a dash.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>When to Use a Dash in a Sentence<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As previously mentioned, there are four types of dashes in English. Most dash types can function in multiple ways, which can make it even harder to know how or when to use a dash in a sentence. So, let\u2019s look at the basic functions of the figure dash, en dash, em dash, and swung dash.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Figure Dash (-)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The figure dash is the shortest dash in length. It is generally half the length of the standard en dash. A figure dash looks and functions much like a hyphen. You will most often see (and use) the figure dash when writing phone numbers or similar number sequences. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">404-555-1236<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">667-555-9862<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">899-555-2627<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Needless to say, figure dashes are not all that common in standard English writing. However, if you need to write an English sentence with number sequences, you should definitely make use of the figure dash.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">En Dash (\u2013)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The en dash (sometimes written as \u201cN Dash\u201d) is the standard form of dash punctuation in terms of size. It is approximately twice as long as the figure dash and half as long as the em dash. However, it has very limited uses. In fact, you can only use the en dash for a few different purposes:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Range of Values<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When used for a range of values, the en dash often replaces words like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">through<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">between&#8230;and<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">to<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We will need 10\u201315 more boxes to fit all of our belongings.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: We will need <\/span><b><i>between<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 10 <\/span><b><i>and<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 15 boxes to fit all of our belongings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The event will take place sometime from August\u2013September.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: The event will take place sometime from August <\/span><b><i>to<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> September.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For your assignment, you will need to read pages 34\u201355 in your textbook.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: For your assignment, you will need to read pages 34 <\/span><b><i>through<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 55 in your textbook.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Contrasting Values<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When numbers or names illustrate a contrast, you can use the en dash to express this contrast quickly. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The judges voted 5\u20134 in support of the new voting rights bill.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Arsenal beat Liverpool 3\u20130.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Hatfield\u2013McCoy feud lasted for nearly three decades.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Attributive Compounds<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In English, a hyphen is typically used to connect two related words, including <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/compound-nouns\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">compound nouns<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> like <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Coca-Cola<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">self-confidence<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. However, if you need to connect a compound word to another word (compound or otherwise), you will have to use the en dash. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Pre\u2013World War II era was a complicated time in the United States.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Nobel Prize\u2013winning scientist made an incredible acceptance speech.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The director used a short\u2013focal length lens to get the shot.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As you can see in all of the examples above, figure dashes and em dashes almost never use spaces. In other words, you should not leave an open space on either side of the dash.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Em Dash (\u2014)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/magoosh.com\/english-speaking\/the-em-dash-magoosh-english-speaking\/\">em dash<\/a> (sometimes written as \u201cM Dash\u201d) is the longest dash in English. It is twice as long as the en dash and has some of the most unique uses. Unlike most other forms of dashes, em dashes can be either open or closed. This means that you can choose to put a space on either side of the dash or not. Most newspapers and publications use closed em dashes, but the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apstylebook.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">AP Style Guide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> recommends open em dashes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">You can use the em dash to do all of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Replace a set of parentheses or commas<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Replace a colon<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Signify an abrupt change or long pause<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Express interruptions in speech or thought<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Quote attribution<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Censorship or redaction<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Precede summaries or definitions<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Now let\u2019s look at some em dash examples for each of the functions mentioned above:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Replace a Set of Parentheses or Commas<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody knew who \u2014 or what \u2014 to blame for the accident.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: Nobody knew who (or what) to blame for the accident.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The horse \u2014 which had been missing for days \u2014 suddenly returned to the pasture.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: The horse, which had been missing for days, suddenly returned to the pasture.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Replace a Colon<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The American flag has three colors \u2014 red, white, and blue.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: The American flag has three colors: red, white, and blue.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have three favorite ice cream flavors \u2014 chocolate, strawberry, and caramel.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Alternative: I have three favorite ice cream flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and caramel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Express an Abrupt Change or Long Pause<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*This use of the em dash is typically reserved for situations in which a period is too strong, but a comma is too weak.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have never have had a best friend \u2014 until you.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I swear to you \u2014 this is the last time I\u2019m helping.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Nobody wants to eat the food here \u2014 even if it freshly made.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Express Interruptions in Speech or Thought<\/b><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">*Closed em dashes are more common when expressing interruptions.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I meant to tell you that\u2014oh, never mind.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What the\u2014<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That\u2019s why I was\u2014wait, who are you?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Quote Attribution<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Example 1:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">&#8220;Life is what happens when you&#8217;re busy making other plans.&#8221;\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014 John Lennon<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Example 2:<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Don&#8217;t cry because it&#8217;s over. Smile because it happened.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u2014 Dr. Seuss<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Censorship or Redaction<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though the information is classified, the FBI put out a warrant for a man who lives at \u2014 \u2014 in Memphis.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">What the \u2014!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Her name is S \u2014 \u2014 h J \u2014 \u2014 n.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Precede Summaries or Definitions<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Great Gatsby<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u2014 The story of Nick Carraway\u2019s interactions with a millionaire named Jay Gatsby and Gatsby\u2019s desire to reunite with his one true love.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Em Dash \u2014 A long dash used in English punctuation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Swung Dash (~)<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Though not as common as the previous three dashes, the swung dash is still a necessary part of the English language. The Swung dash is most often seen in dictionaries and academic texts. It is used to omit a word that has already been used. For example:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Glum \u2014 looking or feeling sad; \u201cThe boy appeared ~ the whole day.\u201d<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Omitted term: glum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Affable \u2014 friendly or easy to converse with; \u201cEveryone agreed that Gatsby was an ~ man.\u201d<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Omitted term: affable<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Mr. Thomas was not at the scene of the crime, therefore ~ cannot be the perpetrator and ~ should not be prosecuted.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li>Omitted term: Mr. Thomas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Figuring out when to use a dash in writing can take time. You will need to practice \u2014 ideally with the help of an English tutor! However, you\u2019ll find that the more you write, the more comfortable you feel using different kinds of dashes. Soon, you\u2019ll know when to use a dash in a sentence without giving it a second thought!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">We hope you found this guide useful! If you\u2019d like to learn more about English grammar and writing rules, be sure to subscribe to the Magoosh <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCKwaubtv7Pl6iQqGw97YEgg\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Youtube<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> channel or join our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/freespeakup\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Facebook Group<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> today!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s difficult to find a newspaper article, book, essay, or just about any piece of English writing that doesn\u2019t contain some form of the dash symbol. In English, dashes can signify a number of different meanings. In today\u2019s guide, we will evaluate when to use a dash in a sentence and look at some common [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":3851,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-grammar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.7 (Yoast SEO v21.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>When to Use a Dash in a Sentence (with Examples)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In today\u2019s guide, we will evaluate when to use a dash in a sentence and look at some common examples of dash usage in English.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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