A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes

A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes A Guide to Hyphens and Dashes By Mark Nichol This post details the purposes of various horizontally aligned typographical symbols. Hyphen Hyphens perform various functions, including the following: They link standing compound words (mind-set, self-respect). They are used with some prefixes (anti-inflammatory). They represent expression in isolation of a prefix or a word element (pre-, -er). They link spelled out numerical terms representing different place values (twenty-four). They link words in phrasal adjectives preceding but not following a noun (â€Å"short-term investment,† â€Å"off-the-cuff remark†) and when combining similar-looking constructions that begin with comparative adverbs such as better, much, and well (â€Å"best-kept secret†) Some style guides (but not this site) recommend that phrasal adjectives be hyphenated regardless of their position, and a few such expressions (such as far-reaching) are always hyphenated regardless of position or style authority. Also, a letter space should never intervene when a hyphen connects two words or numbers, except when suspending the first use of a word common to two or more phrasal adjectives (â€Å"fifteen- and thirty-day increments†). Hyphens are often introduced when new compounds are created, including in technological vocabulary, but such terms usually become closed compounds (though there are exceptions, such as mind-set, mentioned above, and light-year). Some terms that include letters linked to nouns retain hyphenation (A-list, T-bone, X-axis). Omission of a hyphen in email is trending, but similar terms such as e-commerce resist this evolution. Em Dash The dash, technically known as an em dash (to distinguish it from the en dash, described below), is used to indicate parenthesis when more emphasis is intended than indicated by a comma or a pair of parentheses. One dash is employed to when the wording expresses an attempt to get attention (â€Å"Look- a squirrel!†) or to indicate a sudden break in syntax and the parenthesis ends a sentence (â€Å"What I meant to say is- hey, are you paying attention?†) Similarly, it can replace a colon (â€Å"You have three options- fight, flight, or surrender†). Two dashes are employed when the parenthesis occurs mid-sentence (â€Å"The original version of the document- the one I hold here- is worded differently†). The dash is also employed to set off the identification of the source of an epigraph (â€Å"‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.’ - Franklin D. Roosevelt†). Also, one or more dashes may indicate redaction of all or part of a word or name in order to avoid identification or euphemize profanity (â€Å"The target was identified as - - - †; â€Å"Ms. A- - is not unacquainted with scandal†; â€Å"Well, I’ll be d- - ed!†). Dashes are usually closed- that is, they are set with no preceding or following letter spaces- but some publishers prefer to format them open. Some, too, out of ignorance or apathy or for the sake of simplicity (as in the case of some newspapers), use a single or double hyphen in place of an em dash- or, because they prefer its size, employ an en dash. (This is a valid design decision, but use of a single or double hyphen appears amateurish and should be avoided.) En Dash The en dash, always so called to distinguish it from the default em dash, which is often referred to simply as a dash, has two functions: representing a range of numbers or a time span (â€Å"Read pages 15–37†; â€Å"John Smith [1936–2012] is not listed†; â€Å"These figures represent revenues during the first quarter [January–March]†) as a substitute for through serving as a substitute for a hyphen in a compound term (â€Å"Pre–Civil War conditions sometimes prevailed†; â€Å"The United States–Mexico border is nearly two thousand miles long.† (These distinctions are, again, sometimes ignored.) The en dash is employed for the latter use because â€Å"pre-Civil War conditions† implies â€Å"before the Civil† rather than â€Å"before the Civil War† and â€Å"the United States-Mexico border† appears to refer to a united border between States and Mexico rather than one between the United States and Mexico. Plus Sign A plus sign (+) is employed in mathematics and other disciplines to indicate addition or positive numbers, and in lay usage it may modify a letter grade or qualify a blood type. It is sometime used informally to indicate a value greater than the stated one, as in â€Å"I would say 50+ people attended.† (Formally, â€Å"I would say more than fifty people attended† is better, and a direct quote would be better represented as â€Å"I would say fifty-plus people attended.†) Minus Sign A minus sign (–) is a distinct symbol used in digital displays of mathematics and other disciplines to signal subtraction or negative numbers; like the plus sign, it may be used in designations of letter grades and blood types. However, a minus sign is often represented by a hyphen or an en dash in print or online. Multiplication Sign A multiplication sign (Ãâ€") is used almost exclusively in mathematics and in isolated functions in notations in biology and history. In lay usage, the letter x generally takes its place. Division Sign The division sign, officially called an obelus, was replaced by the dagger mark († ) as a reference sign and now pertains exclusively to division in mathematics. Equal Sign An equal sign (=) represents equivalence and is occasionally used in informal writing in place of equals. Tilde A tilde (~) usually functions to denote a variation in pronunciation of certain letters in various languages, but it also serves in informal writing to signal approximation, as in â€Å"We continued along for ~20 miles.† Underscore The underscore (_), employed on typewriters to create underlines, survives now mainly as a symbol in email addresses, URLs, and computer code. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" Proved vs. ProvenWoof or Weft?

Writing Style of Scarlet Letter Essays

Writing Style of Scarlet Letter Essays Writing Style of Scarlet Letter Paper Writing Style of Scarlet Letter Paper Essay Topic: The Scarlet Letter Adultery, betrayal, promiscuity, subterfuge, and intrigue, all of which would make an excellent coming attraction on the Hollywood scene and probably a pretty good book. Add Puritan ideals and writing styles, making it long, drawn out, tedious, wearisome, sleep-inducing, insipidly asinine, and the end result is The Scarlet Letter. Despite all these things it is considered a classic and was The Scarlet Letter is a wonderful and not so traditional example of the good versus evil theme. What makes this a unique instance of good versus evil is that either side could be considered either one. Hester could very easily have been deduced as evil, or the bad guy, as she was by the townspeople. That is, she was convicted of adultery, a horrible sin of the time, but maybe not even seen as criminal today. As for punishment, a sentence to wear a scarlet A upon her chest, it would hardly be considered a burden or extreme sentence in the present day. Or Hester can be seen as rebelling against a society where she was forced into a loveless marriage and hence she would be the good guy, or girl, as the case may be. Also the townspeople, the magistrates, and Chillingworth, Hesters true husband, can be seen in both lights. Either they can be perceived as just upholding the law -she committed a crime, they enforce the law. On the other hand are they going to extreme measures such as wanting to take Pearl, Hesters daughter, away just because Hester has deviated from the norm, all to enforce an unjust law that does not. Although the subjects of the novel do apply to important issues in history and could have had influences on the time period, they were not great.

Severe Storm class Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Severe Storm class - Assignment Example the heavy storm was issued by the NWS; specifically, residents of the Mid-Atlantic were notified that the storm could reduce visibility up to a level of  ¼ miles for a period of one to three hours. Consequently, the National Weather Service also predicted and warned the residents of the region that the heavy storm would lead to heavy flooding that could affect locomotion along major highways (http://www.weather.com, n.p). The heavy rains subjected the Mid-Atlantic region to severe rainfall floods: Some of these regions are also usually vulnerable to coastal flooding, majorly caused by hurricanes or even tropical cyclones. However, recently as a result of the heavy rainfall, they were affected by rainfall flooding, which specifically affected the Virginia and Pennsylvania. Maryland was also affected by the flood and approximately 9,300 people had to go without power supply from 7:18am (http://www.weather.com, n.p). In Pennsylvania, the rainfall flooding caused a mudslide that led to the closure of the Lincoln Borough Road and approximately 30 people had to be evacuated after the flooding damaged their houses. According news that was provided by the NBC News Station, several schools were closed, specifically schools in Warren, Shenandoah as well as in Fredrick Counties due to the heavy storms that led to the high level of flooding in the region (http://www.weather.com, n.p). Within the same state, officials in Charlottesville reported damaged roads, fallen trees and other aspects of damaged environment due to heavy rainfall flooding. Several Roads were also closed in Virginia i.e. Roads along Rivanna River. Other states that were also affected by heavy rainfall flooding were: Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Washington DC among others. The rainfall that caused the heavy flooding within the Mid-Atlantic Region caused serious social problems among the residents of the region. To begin with, a substantial number of residents in the region had to go