Em dash usage.
- a dash when the second sentence backs up the first one, nails it down to something, restates or amplifies it, provides reasons or examples, or when the second sentence could not stand on its own "as is" for grammatical reasons.
I will try to demonstrate my point by rewording the notorious examples from The Oatmeal accordingly.
- My aunt had hairy knuckles — she suffered from hirsutism.
- When dinosaurs agree on something, they'll often high-five one another — they cannot talk and have to resort to gestures.
What's wrong with this usage:
His staff has been hired and his campaign is ready — it was hard work.
Top answer
There is nothing wrong with it, exactly. The decision to use an em dash is always risky. I think of it as a less formal colon when it is used to tag something on the end, and as less intrusive parentheses when it occurs as a pair internally.
- There is nothing wrong with it, exactly.
- The decision to use an em dash is always risky.
- I think of it as a less formal colon when it is used to tag something on the end, and as less intrusive parentheses when it occurs as a pair internally.
- I also tend to resist the temptation to use it at all because it is too much fun to fling that slash in there, and punctuation should be invisible to the reading eye.
- Often a period and a new sentence is better, or a pair of commas.
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There is nothing wrong with it, exactly. The decision to use an em dash is always risky. I think of it as a less formal colon when it is used to tag something on the end, and as less intrusive parentheses when it occurs as a pair internally. I also tend to resist the temptation to use it at all because it is too much fun to fling that slash in there, and punctuation should be invisible to the
0I agree with the last response.
A dash often leaves the reader puzzling about the intended meaning,
Consider My aunt had hairy knuckles — she suffered from hirsutism.
What does the writer mean, more precisely?
eg My aunt had hairy knuckles because she suffered from hirsutism. (a reason)
eg My aunt had hairy knuckles so I realized s
0
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