Can you use a dash at the beginning of a sentence?

Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways: A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence. Example: After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth—Ireland.

How do you use dashes correctly in a sentence?

Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!

What does a dash before a sentence mean?

The dash (—) is a mark of punctuation used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or a parenthetical remark (words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence). “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a ​comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than ​parentheses.”

How do you use a dash in the middle of a sentence?

Dash

1. Use a dash to show a pause or break in meaning in the middle of a sentence: My brothers—Richard and John—are visiting Hanoi.
2. Use a dash to show an afterthought:
3. Use a dash like a colon to introduce a list:
4. Use a dash to show that letters or words are missing:

What is the difference between dash and hyphen?

They might all look like lines on a page, but hyphens and dashes serve different purposes. To begin, a hyphen (-) is shorter than a dash (–). Hyphens join words together and dashes indicate range. But that’s just the beginning.

How do you use dash in a sentence?

A dash is a punctuation mark. It sets off information that interrupts the flow of a sentence. Writers use dashes in a lot of different situations. For example, they may use a dash to show a sudden break in a person’s thoughts.

When to use dashes correctly?

Using Dashes. Dashes, when used sparingly and correctly, can be used to make your writing sound more sophisticated. Indicate sudden changes in tone or thought within a sentence. The exuberant–I should say lunatic–quality of his ravings electrified the crowd.

When to use a dash when writing?

Use the dash to emphasize a pause. Sometimes, a dash is used to achieve the decline from a climactic tone, often to emphasize a point or an action. For example: “We waited outside his house all day and all night long–but to no avail.”. Just like any other punctuation, use the dash sparingly and only when necessary.

How do you use dashes correctly?

Using Hyphens and Dashes Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to some words. Use hyphens when creating compound words from several smaller words. Use a hyphen when writing numbers out as words. Use a dash when making a brief interruption within a statement. Use a hyphen to split a word between two lines.