The Handy Dash "–"
As a form of punctuation, the dash is pretty amazing–and it affects pronunciation.
There is more than one kind of dash, and each one has a job (or jobs) to do.
The en dash is the shortest (the width of the letter "n") and it has several purposes:
It creates compound adjectives–two adjectives that are used together as one:
The pro-choice candidates have generally come from that political party.
The critics launched a large-scale effort to defeat her proposal.
The plan was supported by right-wingers.
She wants to turn it into a car-free promenade.
The Nobel Prize-winning author will be reading from her book tonight.
Pronounce compound adjectives as if they were one word (generally the first word of the pair will be given more weight.)
It also indicates ranges: time spans, page ranges or ranges of numbers.
Please read pages 101-108 before class tomorrow.
The cable installation is scheduled for 1:00-3:00 pm tomorrow.
The 2015-2016 fiscal year was the most profitable year for her business.
When reading these ranges, pronounce the dash as "to."
It also indicates items of equal weight:
The male-female dynamic has always been interesting.
The Chicago-London flight can be easier at night.
These dashes aren't pronounced. They are read as if they weren't there.
The em dash is a little wider (the width of the letter "m") and also has several jobs.
It can be used to set off words and phrases, or to put a parenthetical remark into a sentence.
After a split second of hesitation, the second baseman leaped–or rather, limped–for the ball.
It can introduce a clause that amplifies whatever came before it. (Colons are also used for this purpose, but dashes are more emphatic–and less formal–than colons.)
He is afraid of two things–spiders and nouns.
When you see these dashes, pause longer than you would when you see a comma.
Three dashes: Sometimes, you will see em dashes in pairs or in sets of three. When you see this, you will know some letters have been intentionally omitted and replaced with dashes.
A former employee of the accused company, –––, offered a statement off the record.
H–– are all the same. They cause trouble wherever they go.
Resources:
Kids-Korner.Net–Dash & Dot (image)
