How to Use Hyphens and Dashes

‘Cause every girl crazy ‘bout a

sharp-dressed man

How to use hyphens and dashes

(-) (–) (—)

What are they?

A hyphen looks like this: -

An en dash looks like this: –

An em dash looks like this: —

Each of these punctuation marks has a different purpose.

Hyphens -Hyphens are typically used when writing

compound modifiers

compound nouns

non-inclusive numbers

Hyphens -Hyphens form compound modifiers by joining two or more words to describe a noun:

He is an awkward-looking guy.

It was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

If the compound modifier is particularly long, you can use quotation marks instead:

It’s a good do-it-yourself project.or

It’s a good “do it yourself” project.

Hyphens - When a compound modifier is 2 words long and contains an adverb, don’t use a hyphen:

We passed by a poorly dressed gentleman.

If a compound modifier is longer and contains an adverb, use hyphens:

Then we passed by a not-so-poorly-dressed gentleman.

Hyphens -When a compound modifier appears before the noun it modifies, use hyphens:

I have a six-year-old kid.

When the modifier appears after the noun, don’t use hyphens:

My kid is six years old.

Hyphens -When multiple similar compound modifiers appear in a sentence, it’s often simplest to only complete one of them:

Shop around for two-, three-, and four-acre lots.

It’s clear that this means “two-acre, three-acre, and four-acre lots,” but writing it like this is repetitive.

Hyphens help to smooth out the sentence.

Hyphens -Hyphens can also be used to form compound nouns. This generally helps to clear up a confusing sentence.

Compound nouns can be hyphenated or made into one word:

Hyphen: This is a great set-up you’ve got here.

One word: This is a great setup you’ve got here.

Verb phrases shouldn’t be hyphenated:

Will you help me set up this TV?

Hyphens -Finally, hyphens are used when writing non-inclusive numbers, such as a phone number

867-5309

a credit card number

0000-1234-5678-9000

or a Social Security number

123-45-6789

En dashes –

En dashes are typically used when writing

about a range of numbers

about connections and conflicts

certain compound modifiers

En Dashes –En dashes are used to indicate a range of numbers:

Tonight, read pages 23–57.

An en dash cannot be used in place of “to” in a “from X to Y” phrase or in place of “and” in a “between X and Y” phrase:

Tonight, read from page 23 to page 57.

The French Revolution occurred between 1789 and 1799.

En Dashes –En dashes are also used to show connections between two things:

I caught a New York–London flight last week.

On the flip side, en dashes are used to show conflict or opposition:

Stay tuned for the big Democrat–Republican debate.

En Dashes –Finally, en dashes are sometimes used for compound modifiers. If part of the modifier is a two-word phrase, an en dash is used instead of a hyphen:

Hyphen: Meryl Streep is an award-winning actress.

En dash: Meryl Streep is an Academy Award–winning actress.

It can’t be written like this because “Academy Award” is one noun:

Wrong: Meryl Streep is an Academy-Award-winning actress.

How To Format En Dashes –Most keyboards don’t have a key that does this.

On a Windows computer, use the code ALT 0150.

On a Mac, use ALT and the regular hyphen key.

Two hyphens in a row (--) will autocorrect to an en dash in some word processors.

Em dashes —

The em dash is the wildcard of punctuation. It can be used in place of

commas

parentheses

colons

semicolons

(But not always.)

Em Dashes —An em dash can replace commas or parentheses around a parenthetical phrase:

Commas: When you have time, if you don’t mind, can you run to the grocery store?

Parentheses: When you have time (if you don’t mind) can you run to the grocery store?

Em dashes: When you have time—if you don’t mind—can you run to the grocery store?

Em Dashes —An em dash can also be used in place of a colon within a sentence:

Colon:

After weeks of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict: guilty.

Em dash:

After weeks of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict— guilty.

Using an em dash in this way can show emphasis, so be aware of how it can change the tone of the sentence.

Em dashes —An em dash can also be used in place of a semicolon:

Semicolon: Do this; don’t do that.

Em dash: Do this—don’t do that.

As mentioned on the previous slide, using an em dash in this way can subtly change the tone of the sentence, so use it wisely.

How To Format Em Dashes —Most keyboards don’t have a key that does this either.

On a Windows computer, use the code ALT 0151.

On a Mac, use SHIFT, ALT, and the regular hyphen key.

Again, two hyphens in a row (--) will autocorrect to an en dash in some word processors, so watch out for this if you mean to use an em dash.

The End!