How To Use Dashes Instead Of Commas

Commas can also be used to set off parenthetical information but they do.

How to use dashes instead of commas. Parenthetical phrase with commas. A colon can be used immediately after the greeting in a formal letter less formal letters tend to use a comma in this location. So it s not a matter of it ever being correct to use a dash. When a thought is left unfinished however a dash should be used instead. Dashes are often used informally instead of commas colons and brackets.

For instance em dashes can replace parentheses at the end of a sentence or when multiple commas appear in a parenthetical phrase. Use a longer em dash to join independent clauses with words like and but as or and for. Use a dash in a sentence to set off parenthetical information and provide emphasis. Place em dashes around non essential information or a list in the middle of a sentence like you would with commas. To properly use a dash in an english sentence start by identifying which dash you should use.

Please accept my application for the position advertised in the news and observer. It s entirely a matter of personal style. Em dashes save the day when other punctuation would be awkward. Note that dashes are rather informal and should be used carefully in writing. For example i never said he began when typing a completed sentence a comma precedes the closing quotation mark and the attribution.

The dashes have a slightly more emphatic feel making the reader focus on this information that is set inside the special marks. Use dashes in place of a comma em dashes can be used in pairs to replace commas when writing a parenthetical or interruptive phrase. After a split second of hesitation the second baseman leaped for the ball or rather limped for it. Use a dash to cut off dialogue. An em dash is made by typing two hyphens.

Let s start with those quiet parentheses. There s never a requirement to use a dash. You use them to surround something that seems a bit out of place in the sentence an aside a clarification or a commentary. To whom it may concern. Using a colon between a verb and its object or complement.