20.5: Hyphens and Long Dashes
- Page ID
- 223637
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Long Dash Use 1:
Use a long dash on each side of an interrupting or parenthetical detail to detach it from the sentence.
Example: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS)—a common additive in junk food—is blamed for many ills in American society, from high rates of diabetes to staggering obesity rates.
Note how the phrase “a common additive in junk food” is not grammatically a part of the sentence’s main clause and thus is set off with the dashes. That said, though, the phrase does provide additional context to the sentence, and the writer is right to include that information in it.
Long Dash Use 2:
Use a long dash to detach a clause at the end of a sentence.
Example: While HFCS does have a long shelf life, making it an attractive ingredient to producers, high fructose corn syrup also has financial benefits—the sweetener is cheap due to farm subsidies for corn.
How to type a long dash
In Word:
- Type a word, with no space after it.
- Type two hyphens, with no space between or after them.
- Type another word.
- Type a space after that word. You should see the hyphens merge and lengthen.
On a Mac:
- Type a word, with no space after it.
- Hold down the “Option” button and type two hyphens. This will create a long dash.
Hyphen Use 1:
Use a hyphen to join two or more words when they modify a noun and act as a single idea.
Example: The grossly-sweet taste of high fructose corn syrup does turn off some consumers, though some disagree that high fructose corn syrup is actually sweeter than sugar.
“Grossly” is an adverb modifying “sweet,” but it is the two words together, not separately, that modify “taste.” (Adverbs by themselves do not modify nouns: we would not say “grossly taste.”) So, then, we need a hyphen linking “grossly” and “sweet” to ensure we understand the correct grammatical association “grossly” has with the modifier and the noun that follow it.
Hyphens vs. Long Dashes
Hyphens hold words together to form single units of meaning within a sentence, while dashes are used to detach clauses from sentences. Thus, the two punctuation marks, while commonly confused for one another, have opposite functions.
When you type the hyphen and the long dash, the hyphen should be short and the dash much longer: - vs. —
Hyphen Usage Tip: Do not leave a space before or after a hyphen.
Incorrect hyphen use: 2--3 pages and 2 - 3 pages state - of - the - art building
Correct hyphen use: 2-3 pages state-of-the-art building
See these video tutorials on dashes and long hyphens from Khan Academy.