Dashes and Parentheses
The dash is a handy device, informal and esentially playful, telling you that
you're about to take off on a different tack but still in some way connected with
the present course — only you have to remember that the dash is there, and
either put a second dash at the end of the notion to let the reader know that
he's back on course, or else end the sentence, as here, with a period.
- Lewis Thomas
Use a dash (--) to indicate a sudden change in tone or thought. *
ex. I thought I knew everything about grammar -- then I went online.
When the change comes in the middle of a sentence, a dash is required at the beginning and at the end of the interruption.
ex. Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School -- the biggest little school in Ontario -- hosts track and field competitions in May and June.
Use dashes or parentheses to add non-essential information or asides. Use them occasionally in place of commas to set off non restrictive elements , especially if there are already commas in the non-restrictive element.
ex. Their entire weekend of activities -- skiing, sledding, and skating -- was ruined by rain.
Their entire weekend of activities (skiing, sledding, and skating) was ruined by rain.
Activity
Also use a dash in place of a colon to introduce information or an explanation
Activity
* dashes are longer than hyphens. If your keyboard or word processing program does not allow you to make a longer line, use two hyphens together to indicate a dash.
ex. I thought I knew everything about grammar -- then I went online.
When the change comes in the middle of a sentence, a dash is required at the beginning and at the end of the interruption.
ex. Ridgeway-Crystal Beach High School -- the biggest little school in Ontario -- hosts track and field competitions in May and June.
Use dashes or parentheses to add non-essential information or asides. Use them occasionally in place of commas to set off non restrictive elements , especially if there are already commas in the non-restrictive element.
ex. Their entire weekend of activities -- skiing, sledding, and skating -- was ruined by rain.
Their entire weekend of activities (skiing, sledding, and skating) was ruined by rain.
Activity
Also use a dash in place of a colon to introduce information or an explanation
Activity
* dashes are longer than hyphens. If your keyboard or word processing program does not allow you to make a longer line, use two hyphens together to indicate a dash.