Remove it if it makes it harder.īut English isn’t set up to be simple, is it? Sorry. Simply, use the hyphen if it makes a sentence easier to read. However, the 2020-2022 Edition (note the hyphen in the range of years) notes that its use is not standardized and is often “a matter of taste, judgment and style sense.” AP defines them simply as “joiners,” used to connect compound words together. The littlest of the three is among the most helpful. Finally, they can also be used as attribution for a quote or in datelines. Save it for special occasions.Įm dashes can also be used for a series within a phrase, such as: She went over her grocery list - a block of cheese, shredded cheese, a tub of cheese - as she grabbed her keys. Remember, the dash will lose its punch if you overuse it. In almost every case when an em dash is used for these purposes, it could be replaced by commas. The quick turn of subject, the stark separation of a part of the sentence, they all can quickly become overused. Now, why is this punctuation mark hated by some editors? It’s because it can be a crutch for writers. Shows a quick diversion from the main meat of the sentence and a return to form.
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