Punctuation: Not Separated at Birth: The Dash and the Hyphen (and Let's Add the Ellipsis for Fun)

Not Separated at Birth: The Dash and the Hyphen (and Let's Add the Ellipsis for Fun)

The dash and the hyphen are like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito: confused so often they are taken for each other. But like these two fine actors, the dash and the hyphen are not the same, no sireee.

• A hyphen is one click on the keyboard: -
• A dash is two clicks on the keyboard: —
• An ellipsis is three spaced periods: …

Therefore, the dash is twice as long as the hyphen. That's not all; the dash and hyphen have totally different uses. Not to mention the ellipsis.

The Dash: Long and Lean

Basically, the dash is used to show emphasis. Here's how:

• Use a dash to show a sudden change of thought.

• Example: An archaeologist—of course I don't mean you—is a person whose career lies in ruins.

• Use a dash before a summary of what is stated in the sentence.

• Example: Avoiding work, getting liposuction, becoming a finalist in the George Hamilton Cocoa Butter Open—everything depends on that trust fund.

The Hyphen: Short and Sweet

The hyphen, in contrast, is used to show a break in words.

• Use a hyphen to show a word break at the end of a line.

• Example: When you finish The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style, Sec-
• ond Edition, your written work will be as sharp as your appearance.

• Use a hyphen in certain compound nouns.

• Example: great-grandmother

• Use hyphens in fractions and in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.

• Examples: one-half, sixty-six

The Ellipsis: Dot, Dot, Dot

The ellipsis, in contrast, indicates a break in continuity.

• Use an ellipsis to show that you have deleted words or sentences from a passage you are quoting.

• Example: Abraham Lincoln said: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth … a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

• Use an ellipsis to show a pause or interruption.

• Example: “No,” I said. “I … I need my space.”

Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Grammar and Style © 2003 by Laurie E. Rozakis, Ph.D.. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

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