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AmerEngli sh Live Free / Speak Free PRESENTS

Hyphen & dash

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Learn how to use these marks correctly.

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AmerEnglishLive Free / Speak Free

PRESENTS

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Hyphens and Dashes

Definition

What's the difference between a hyphen and a dash? How do you know when to use one or the other of these punctuation marks?

A hyphen is a short, single-character line which connects word parts.

The hyphen serves two primary functions: 1. to divide words that split at the end of a line 2. to join word parts into a single word.

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A dash is a longer line—double the length of a hyphen—which indicates a break or an interruption in the thought.

Dashes are used to set off part of a sentence. Unlike parentheses, which tend to minimize, dashes tend to emphasize the set-off text.

Using these punctuation marks correctly will help you make your meaning clear to your readers. We'll look at each of these marks individually to see how they are used.

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Hyphen Exercise Dash

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Hyphens

SolutionUsing Hyphens to Divide Words

Use a hyphen to divide words that won't fit on the end of a line.

While you should be careful not to divide words too often, an occasional division is acceptable. Divide a word when moving the entire word to the next line would leave a gap at the end of the line. When dividing words, be sure to follow these guidelines:

Say the word aloud and choose the best place to divide the word. Generally, dividing between separately–pronounced consonants or double letters is the best idea.

If the word contains a prefix or suffix, the best place to divide is usually after the prefix or before the suffix.

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Look at the following example:

The ancient Greeks worshipped Zeus as the supreme god. In myth–ology, Zeus was both the brother and husband of Hera and the father of Hercules. The Roman counterpart to Zeus is Jupiter.

Always consult a dictionary to find the best place to divide a word.

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Using Hyphens to Form Compound Words

Use a hyphen to form compound words.

Sometimes, writers combine words to form a single adjective modifier placed before a noun or to form a compound noun as in the following examples:

the already–opened packagea serious–minded studentan out–of–work mechanic

a time of self–reflection

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Here are a few simple guidelines to help you hyphenate compound words correctly:

Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to a proper noun (one which begins with a capital letter) or a date:

anti–American protesterspre–1990's political ideals

Use a hyphen with the prefixes self, all, quasi, and ex (when ex means "formerly").

self–serving biasall–knowing deity

quasi–legal organizationex–husband

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Use a hyphen when necessary to avoid misreading, especially when the same letter both ends a prefix and begins the root word:

co–ownershipanti–incendiary

Some words are always hyphenated.

I'd like you to meet my brother-in-law.His coffee is a real eye-opener

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Use a hyphen to express written–out numbers.

Hyphenate two–word numbers between twenty–one and ninety–nine. Don't use a hyphen before or after a category number like hundred, thousand, or million:

forty–ninethree hundred forty–seven

Remember that unless the number occurs at the beginning of a sentence, numbers longer than two syllables should usually be expressed in digits. (Numbers at the beginning of a sentence must always be written out.)

Once again, it's important to consult a dictionary to find out which words are generally hyphenated and which words are written as single words.

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Dashes

Solution Using Dashes

A dash signals an interruption or a break in thought.

Sometimes writers interrupt themselves, as in the following example:

For our vacation—which was much too short—we went to Florida and basked in the sun.

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Dashes are used to set off text that you want to stress or emphasize. Other methods, like surrounding a phrase or clause with commas or parentheses, de–emhasize the text. Dashes are like sentence traffic cops: they tell the reader to pause the current thought while another important thought comes through, and then to pick the first thought up again. Whether you should use commas, parentheses, or dashes depends on how important the text is and how closely it relates to the rest of the sentence.

Auditory Hint.As an auditory learner, your best strategy for deciding whether to use commas, parenthesis, or dashes is to write out loud. If you pause before and after specific words, you need to set those words off. Listen to your own tone of voice when you speak the set-off text. If your tone brightens or your volume increases to emphasize the text, use dashes!

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Look at the following examples:

Matt told his best friend, Sharon's sister, that he wants to go out with you.

Commas are used to set off non–essential text that is closely related to the rest of the sentence.

This doctrine (the incarnation) is central to the Christian faith.

Parentheses are used as a reminder or to add information that is interesting but not critical to the meaning of the sentence.

My memories of my grandmother—and they are some of my strongest childhood memories—inspire me to imitate her gentle strength.

Dashes are used to interrupt the current thought and to emphasize the interrupting text.

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A dash follows a list or series that serves as the introduction to a sentence.

Look at the following examples:

Warts, buck teeth, and crossed eyes—he has them all!

New York, Washington D.C., and rural Pennsylvania—these were the areas most immediately affected by terrorism.

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Using dashes with other punctuation marks

Here are a few simple rules that will help you use dashes correctly:

No spaces are used on either side of a dash.

Typewriters used to have a special key for a dash and referred to this punctuation mark as an "em–dash." By contrast, most word processors make a dash by converting a double hyphen into a single line. Word processors convert the double hyphen to a dash only when no spaces are used on either side of the dash, so your computer will help you remember this rule.

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No commas are used with dashes.

Since the dash serves the same function as a comma—marking off specific text from the rest of the sentence—no additional commas are used with dashes. You may, however, use commas within text set between dashes, and you may use other punctuation marks (such as a question mark or an exclamation point) if one is appropriate. Look at the following example:

Mom—please, can you listen?—may I borrow some money to gas my car?

Normally, a comma would follow the word "Mom" to separate the direct address from the rest of the sentence. Since the dash serves this function, no comma is used. Since the set–off text is a question, the question mark at the end of the text is appropriate. The same rule would apply to an exclamation concluding in an exclamation point. Note, however, that the first letter of the question or exclamation is not capitalized, even though it could be a complete sentence in another context.

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Avoid overusing dashes.

Dashes should be used sparingly and only when your purpose is to both set off and emphasize text within the sentence. Never use more than two dashes in a single sentence.

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Quiz

Test Your Skills

Now it's time to put your skills to the test. This part of the tutorial will present you with six questions, each requiring your response. The questions range from easy to increasingly difficult. You will receive immediate feedback to each of your responses.

Begin the Self Test

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Question #1:

Read the sentence below and decide whether the hyphenated word has been divided correctly. Consult a dictionary if you are unsure.

Every time we visit my grandparents, we hear my grandfat–her tell his story about wrestling with alligators.

CorrectIncorrect I'm not sure.

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The original sentence was:

Every time we visit my grandparents, we hear my grandfat–her tell his story about wrestling with alligators.

You answered that the word "grandfather" is divided correctly.Your answer is incorrect. The word "grandfather" contains three syllables: grand•fath•er.

Since words must be divided between syllables, no division may occur between the "t" and the "h." You may have been confused by the rule that says you should try to divide syllables between pronounced double consonants. However, in the word "grandfather," the "th" is pronouned as a single sound, so the double consonant rule does not apply.

Please go back and try again.

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The original sentence was:

Every time we visit my grandparents, we hear my grandfat–her tell his story about wrestling with alligators.

You're right: the word grandfather is incorrectly divided. Since words must be divided between syllables, no division may occur between the "t" and the "h." Instead, this three–syllable word may be divided between syllables: grand•fath•er.

Go to question 2

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The original sentence was:

Every time we visit my grandparents, we hear my grandfat–her tell his story about wrestling with alligators.

This sentence might be a bit confusing because two rules about dividing words are involved: If possible, words should be divided between pronounced double consonants Words must be divided between syllables. Both of these rules, however, give you a hint on how to divide the word "grandfather." Since the "th" is pronounced as a single syllable, you can't split the "t" and the "h." Instead, you must divide between syllables: grand•fath•er.

Please go back and try again.

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Question #2:

Read the sentence below and decide whether hyphens have been used correctly. Consult a dictionary if you are unsure.

I invited Maria to lunch, but she had already arranged to meet her mother in–law.

CorrectIncorrect I'm not sure.

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The original sentence was:

I invited Maria to lunch, but she had already arranged to meet her mother in–law.

You answered that the sentence uses hyphens correctly.Your answer is incorrect. Some expressions are always written with hyphens. Among these are the following: mother–in–law father–in–law sister–in–law brother–in–law Notice that there are two hyphens in each expression, as opposed to the single hyphen used in the sentence above. The only way to be sure about hyphenated expressions is to consult your dictionary.

Please go back and try again.

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The original sentence was:

I invited Maria to lunch, but she had already arranged to meet her mother in–law.

You're right: the expression mother–in–law is missing a hyphen. Some expressions are always written with hyphens. Among these are the following: mother–in–law father–in–law sister–in–law brother–in–law Notice that there are two hyphens in each expression, as opposed to the single hyphen used in the sentence above. The only way to be sure about hyphenated expressions is to consult your dictionary.

Go to question 3

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The original sentence was:

I invited Maria to lunch, but she had already arranged to meet her mother in–law.

Some expressions are always written with hyphens. Among these are the following: mother–in–law father–in–law sister–in–law brother–in–law Notice that there are two hyphens in each expression. The only way to be sure about hyphenated expressions is to consult your dictionary.

Please go back and try again.

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Question #3:

Read the following sentences and choose the sentence that does not contain a hyphen error. The error may be either an unnecessary hyphen or a missing hyphen.

1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session.

2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives.

3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird.

4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane.

5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates.

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The original sentences were: 1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. 2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. 3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. 4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane. 5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates.

You answered that sentence #1 contains no hyphen errors.Your answer is incorrect. Sentence #1 reads:Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. The modifier two–hour is correctly hyphenated, combining two words into a single compound adjective. The hyphenation of study–session, however, is incorrect and should be written as two words: study session. A corrected version of the sentence would be:Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study session.

Please go back and try again.

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The original sentences were: 1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. 2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. 3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. 4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane. 5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates.

You're right: sentence #2 uses a hyphen correctly. Sentence #2 reads:Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. The hyphen in right–wing correctly combines these two words into a single compound adjective

Go to question 4

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The original sentences were: 1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. 2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. 3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. 4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane. 5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates. You answered that sentence #3 contains no hyphen errors. Your answer is incorrect. Sentence #3 reads:The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. The error in this sentence is trying to turn the two words bright and red into a single–word modifier of the noun cardinal,. While it may seem like both words modify the noun, bright is an adverb modifying the adjective red. Thus, the word bright does not directly modify the noun cardinal and cannot be part of a compound modifier. A corrected version of the sentence would be:The bright red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird

Please go back and try again.

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The original sentences were: 1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. 2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. 3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. 4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane. 5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates.

You answered that sentence #4 contains no hyphen errors. Your answer is incorrect. Sentence #4 reads:Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane The words already and repentant must be read together as a single modifier of the noun malefactor. A corrected version of the sentence would be:Further action against the already–repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane.

Please go back and try again.

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The original sentences were: 1. Several students are meeting tonight for a two–hour study–session. 2. Politicians who denounce abortion are often described as right–wing conservatives. 3. The bright–red cardinal is often recognized as a Christmas bird. 4. Further action against the already repentant malefactor would be cruel and inhumane. 5. The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates.

You answered that sentence #5 contains no hyphen errors.Your answer is incorrect. Sentence #5 reads:The council denounced both the pre and post–election actions of all three candidates. Since both pre and post are prefixes applying to the word election, both require hyphens. A corrected version of this sentence would be:The council denounced both the pre– and post–election actions of all three candidates.

Please go back and try again.

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Question #4:

Use hyphens where needed to correctly write out each of the following numbers. Type in each answer and then press the check button.

27

155

14

1,063

4,718

twenty-seven

one hundred fifty-five

fourteen

one thousand sixty-three

Four thousand seven hundred eighteen

Check

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