What is the difference between a dash and hyphen with examples?

A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.

What is an example of a dash used in a sentence?

Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help! This horse is going too fast,” the actor yelled. “I think I am fall—.”

What is the verb of hyphen?

hyphened; hyphening; hyphens. Definition of hyphen (Entry 2 of 2) transitive verb. : hyphenate.

What are hyphen words?

A hyphenated word is a word that contains at least one hyphen. Typically, hyphenated words are compound words, which means the hyphen connects two or more words. There are other uses of hyphens that we use in writing that aren’t compound words.

How do you know when to hyphenate a word?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two or more words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It’s impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.

What is a dash used for?

A dash is a horizontal line that shows a pause or break in meaning, or that represents missing words or letters. Note that dashes are rather informal and should be used carefully in writing. Dashes are often used informally instead of commas, colons and brackets.

How do you use a dash in the middle of a sentence?

Use a dash to show a pause or break in meaning in the middle of a sentence:

  1. My brothers—Richard and John—are visiting Hanoi. (Could use commas.)
  2. In the 15th century—when of course nobody had electricity—water was often pumped by hand. (Could use brackets.)

How do you use dashes in writing?

Use dashes to set off an idea or an appositive within a sentence. A dash (—) is a punctuation mark used to set off an idea within a sentence and may be used alone or in pairs. Dashes interrupt a thought in a more dramatic way than a phrase enclosed in commas, but less theatrically than parentheses.

What is dash used for?

A dash (—) is a punctuation mark used to set off an idea within a sentence and may be used alone or in pairs. Dashes interrupt a thought in a more dramatic way than a phrase enclosed in commas, but less theatrically than parentheses.

What words are hyphenated?

Here are a few common compound words that are usually written with a hyphen:

  • truck-driver.
  • ice-cream.
  • year-end.
  • sign-in.
  • warm-up.
  • mother-in-law.
  • free-for-all.
  • follow-up.

What is the effect of a dash in a sentence?

In effect, a dash allows you to redefine 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.