English
Guidelines for Using a Dash

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• Use a dash to create emphasis, eg., Our next door neighbour—the accused murderer—hung the rabbit pelts out to dry.
• Within a sentence a parenthetical element is usually set off by commas.  If, however, the parenthetical element itself contains internal commas, use dashes (or parentheses) to set it off; eg., Three of my best friends—Jim, Sarah, and Tom—performed in the production.
• Use a dash to show an interruption or abrupt change of thought; eg., News of the accident—no one believed it at first—upset the whole school.
• Use a dash (not a colon) to separate an introductory list from a summarizing statement; eg., Rowing, golfing, and dancing—these are her favorite pastimes.