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.

How to Use Hyphens and Dashes

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