Dashes are so easily abused that most discussions of them are sprinkled with warnings and cautions about overuse. That's because inexperienced writers, learning the dash indicates a pause or a shift in the direction of thought, sometimes use it in place of commas and even periods. It's true that the dash should be used sparingly. However, sometimes no other mark will better capture your intended meaning. 1. Use a dash to introduce a base clause summarizing a series of introductory elements.
2. Use a pair of dashes to set off a sentence interrupter that contains internal punctuation.
Used this way, dashes show the interrupter as a whole composed of parts. In doing this, they also emphasize the interrupter. 3. Use a dash to attach an afterthought to a sentence that already feels complete.
Used carefully, the dash can be effective, but use it deliberately. Don't, for example, use a dash to attach trailers to your base clause in a cumulative sentence. The dash creates the feeling that what follows it has been tacked on as an afterthought—a surprise. Activity 4.26 Read the following sentences and comment on the ways in which they do or don't make effective use of the dash. Change sentences that should be changed, and be ready to explain your decisions to the rest of the class.
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