The Word Cloud

Hi Persia,

I know you said no question was too silly but.......

I've read alot of American novels lately and have noticed that the majority of them use a hyphen mid-sentence. Is this one of the correct ways to structure a sentence?

Thanks

Emily

Hi Emily! I just saw your question - I see them quicker when they're on the wall.

It would depend on how they're used specifically; if you could type in a sample, that might help. It could be that they're using it as a type of interjection -- to change the direction of thought slightly, or to say something another way. If they use it twice, especially in dialogue, to off-set a part of the sentence, it would be the same as using ( ), which would look odd in a spoken sentence.

I'll start paying attention to both US & UK books, to see if there's a marked difference.

I hope that helps!

Persia

The other thing to say, of course, is that a hyphen, a short horizantal line sometimes referred to as an 'n dash' is used mid-word rather than mid-sentence. A dash, a longer horizantal line sometimes referred to as an 'm dash' (because n is narrower and m is wider) can be used mid-sentence as Brookie and Persia have been discussing. Although, having said that, most keyboards don't have a dash, only a hyphen and so its use has to be distinguished by whether or not it has a preceeding space. A hyphen has no space between it and the preceeding letter, while a dash normally should have, as in: I was trying to think of an example - one that would illustrate my point - but couldn't come up with one. In fact, if you type that sentence in Word it will automatically change the n dash into an m dash for you. But I have a question. Sometimes I see in print an m dash follwing a word, with no space between the last letter and the dash- I'm not sure, but I'm wondering if that occurs when the dash is used, not to introduce a parentehtical caluse, but to end a sentence abruptly. This can happen particularly in speech when someone is interrupted. e.g. "I really think you- " Before he could finish the phone rang. Or is, "I really think you - " equally correct? (In both cases these should of course be m dashes.)

Interesting question Tony! I've never really thought about it, but my gut feeling says that speech is interrupted when there's no space between the last letter and the m-dash; if there's a space, it may lead the reader to think that though the sentence is incomplete, the speaker intended to break off where he/she did, and intends to finish the sentence (and will have the opportunity to do so, say, after a speech tag).

Here are the rules in brief, from my nifty little "Elements of Grammar":
1) Use a dash to indicate an abrupt change in a sentence.
"We see words that blow like leaves in the winds of autumn – golden words, bronze words, words that catch the light like opals." (JJ Kilpatrick, The Writer's Art)

2) Sometimes a dash is used to set off interpolated explanatory matter.
There are many differences – aside from the physical ones – between men and women.

3) Use a dash to indicate a sudden break in a sentence. (When a sentence ends in a dash, no period is needed.)
"Let me know if you ever need–" She broke off in tears.

4) A dash may be used to set off a long phrase in apposition, particularly when the phrase is punctuated with commas.
"The male rampant – killing animals for food and clothing, digging out caves, and putting up huts, driving off enemies –early came to be associated in the mind of the elemental female with warmth, well-being, safety, and the kindred creature comforts." (James Thurber, "Listen to This, Dear")

5) A pair of dashes may be used instead of parentheses.

“All branches of the family produced their individual eccentrics – there was even an uncle who believed in the Single Tax – but they were united in their solid understanding of the value of money...” (K.A. Porter, “Gertrude Stein: A Self Portrait”)

6) Use a dash instead of the word ‘to’ in reference to dates, pages, paragraphs, verses, and cantos.

1910 – 1940

Pages 10 – 49

Paragraphs 1 – 14

Genesis 2: 10 – 14

Verses 5 – 10

Cantos I – IV

I hope that helps!

Wow, such a lot of help in this group, thanks folks! I have two names seperated by hyphen that make one if that helps any? Anna-Marie.