Dashes

Dashes, specifically em dashes, represent abrupt pauses or breaks in thought or surround parenthetical elements that use commas. These are the universally accepted uses of the dash—

Before an Abrupt Break or a Pause

A dash represents a pause or break in thought.

See Examples

Around Parentheticals with Commas

Dashes surround parenthetical elements that use commas.

See Examples

Note: The AP Stylebook and The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage specify that spaces surround a dash for typographical purposes.

Note: For dashes used for ranges and occasional word linkages, see en dashes.

Note: The Chicago Manual of Style and The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage recommend using no more than two dashes in a sentence.

Other Uses of the Dash

Return to Main Topic List