11/11/2023 0 Comments Em dash vs en dashWhether you should capitalize the word following a colon depends on whether you’re writing in American English or British English. Consider this variation on our example: The roads are icy. An independent clause is a clause that can be its own sentence, so when you’ve got two independent clauses separated by a colon, you’ve essentially got two sentences. We explain why in the next section.įirst, here’s an easy trick to see if you’re using a colon or semicolon correctly to separate clauses: Replace it with a period. See how the version with the semicolon feels more conversational, while the one with the colon feels more direct? You might have also noticed that in the first example, the clause after the colon starts with a capital letter. The roads are icy it’s dangerous to drive today. While a semicolon can gently separate two independent clauses, a colon does so more concretely. Separating a sentence into two independent clauses is one of the rare instances where either a colon or a semicolon would be correct. The roads are icy: It’s dangerous to drive today. Pepper.”Ī colon can also separate a sentence into two independent clauses when the two clauses are directly related and you mean to emphasize the second clause. Pepper.” This can also be written as “There are three kinds of soda on the menu and they are, as follows, ginger ale, Pepsi, and Dr. Think of it as shorthand for “which is/are,” “as follows,” or “thus.”įor example: “There are three kinds of soda on the menu: ginger ale, Pepsi, and Dr. In a sentence, a colon’s job is to introduce information and give it context. Now let’s discuss the details on when and how to use each and where the dash ( - ) fits in. A semicolon ( ) is used to join related independent clauses together in the same sentence without a conjunction.It’s typically used before a list, example, or explanation. A colon (:) is used to introduce information set up by the previous clause.The two punctuation marks colon (:) and semicolon ( ) may look similar, but they have different uses: Not sure when to use a dash or whether a colon or semicolon is the way to go? No worries-we break it down and make it easy-peasy. If you want the official Unicode minus character, you can use the Emoji picker in Windows (press Alt+Period) or on the Mac (Press Ctrl+Command+Space) then select it from the menu with your mouse cursor.Grammarly helps you communicate confidently Write with Grammarly To type a minus informally, press the minus key on your keyboard. Officially, hyphen and minus are two distinct characters. We say "technically" because most people use the same minus key to type either a hyphen or minus interchangeably on computers due to historical precedent from the typewriter era. Minus (−): A minus is a mathematical symbol that is technically longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash.The em dash inspires controversy at times because of how often it appears in modern writing. It can also replace other types of punctuation as well. Em Dash (-): An em dash is longer than a hyphen and an en dash, and it's often used to separate interjections or parenthetical phrases-such as this one-without interrupting the flow of the sentence.On Mac, type it by pressing Option+Minus. You can type it on Windows by holding Alt on your keyboard and pressing 0150. It's used to denote a numerical range (such as 1981-1983) or to replace the word "to" in comparisons. En Dash (-): An en dash is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash.To type a hyphen, simply press the minus key on your keyboard. Hyphen (-): A hyphen joins words together and is used to form compound words (usually compound adjectives) such as "once-in-a-lifetime" or "cyborg-related." It is the shortest of the horizontal-line family of punctuation marks.Let's take a look at how each one differs-and we'll also show you how to type them. As we mentioned above, each type of dash, hyphen, or minus sign has its own special length, and each also gets its own Unicode character.
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