Forums
Shafts of Imagination
Quick find code: 49-50-608-60677877
Umm...not to be rude or anything, but Americans call it em-dash. We call it en-dash
.
In Caroline Taggart's 'My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me')', it explains that British English usually uses an en-dash (-) with a space on either side of it, while Americans prefer the longer em-dash (--) with no spaces. As for the usage of a dash, it is certainly the case that writers use it to introduce an aside, an interruption, or an additional piece of information, to indicate a sudden change of emotion or thought, or show that words have been omitted at the end of a sentence that has been broken off.
It is certainly more acceptable to use dashes in informal writing, but some professional writers rely on them heavily due to dashes really are quite versatile in terms of function, as opposed to the restrictions presented by a semicolon.
In Collins's Grammar & Punctuation,it states dashes are used at the beginning and end of a comment that interrupts the flow of a sentence:
Now children - Kenneth, stop that immediately! - open your books on page 20.
And to separate off extra information, in the same manner above but without the exclamation mark.
But dashes are sometimes used to connect clauses and writing when used on its own, and can work like brackets do, providing information on adjacent clauses.
But really, the rules on dashes aren't so strict compared to other punctuations.
.
In Caroline Taggart's 'My Grammar and I (or should that be 'Me')', it explains that British English usually uses an en-dash (-) with a space on either side of it, while Americans prefer the longer em-dash (--) with no spaces. As for the usage of a dash, it is certainly the case that writers use it to introduce an aside, an interruption, or an additional piece of information, to indicate a sudden change of emotion or thought, or show that words have been omitted at the end of a sentence that has been broken off.
It is certainly more acceptable to use dashes in informal writing, but some professional writers rely on them heavily due to dashes really are quite versatile in terms of function, as opposed to the restrictions presented by a semicolon.
In Collins's Grammar & Punctuation,it states dashes are used at the beginning and end of a comment that interrupts the flow of a sentence:
Now children - Kenneth, stop that immediately! - open your books on page 20.
And to separate off extra information, in the same manner above but without the exclamation mark.
But dashes are sometimes used to connect clauses and writing when used on its own, and can work like brackets do, providing information on adjacent clauses.
But really, the rules on dashes aren't so strict compared to other punctuations.
02-Nov-2010 21:18:28 - Last edited on 02-Nov-2010 21:33:04 by Englishkid62
Englishkid62, technically, the en dash and the em dash are different. An en dash is one half the width of an em dash, which generally translates to a hyphen. An em dash is extended; an en dash is not.
Your source is incorrect, and it's quite that simple. It did not take into account historical usage nor contemporary adaptation: currently, the American em dash is three ens long, and the British em dash is two ens long (in relative ens). It is also important to remember that when I said the dash is not used because the rules are not written: anything I say to counterprove your points will not be correct, just as anything you say will not be correct. When referring to dashes, there is, within relative propriety, no right or wrong.
I don't really understand the purpose of your post, then, in disproving mine. Firstly, there is no universal British punctuation, as the Commonwealth is not entirely universally consistent. It is important, I suppose, to notice that there is a distinct differentiation between the hyphen and the em dash. Secondly, there are varying forms of international and domestic punctuation used by varying countries, making discussion of the matter both semantic and meaningless.
This is all a very confusing discussion because ens, which are half of an em, can be equal to or twice the length of a hyphen. Traditionally, the contemporary usage (oxymoron?) is as such:
Hyphen: -
En dash: --
Em dash: ---
But the latter two and former two are used interchangeably.
I have no interest in conducting a debate over a subject as subjective and transient as dashes, however, so feel free to disagree as you please. This is firmly my opinion, and I have no expectation of either one of us changing it in this regard.
Your source is incorrect, and it's quite that simple. It did not take into account historical usage nor contemporary adaptation: currently, the American em dash is three ens long, and the British em dash is two ens long (in relative ens). It is also important to remember that when I said the dash is not used because the rules are not written: anything I say to counterprove your points will not be correct, just as anything you say will not be correct. When referring to dashes, there is, within relative propriety, no right or wrong.
I don't really understand the purpose of your post, then, in disproving mine. Firstly, there is no universal British punctuation, as the Commonwealth is not entirely universally consistent. It is important, I suppose, to notice that there is a distinct differentiation between the hyphen and the em dash. Secondly, there are varying forms of international and domestic punctuation used by varying countries, making discussion of the matter both semantic and meaningless.
This is all a very confusing discussion because ens, which are half of an em, can be equal to or twice the length of a hyphen. Traditionally, the contemporary usage (oxymoron?) is as such:
Hyphen: -
En dash: --
Em dash: ---
But the latter two and former two are used interchangeably.
I have no interest in conducting a debate over a subject as subjective and transient as dashes, however, so feel free to disagree as you please. This is firmly my opinion, and I have no expectation of either one of us changing it in this regard.
03-Nov-2010 15:35:50 - Last edited on 03-Nov-2010 15:49:09 by Yrolg
Quick find code: 49-50-608-60677877 Back to Top