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AskAndAnswer Posted 14 years ago
Grammar

em dashes in poetry?

When writing in verse—or any other form of poetry—is it ok to use the em dashes without a conjunction?

notice the third part of the sentence above doesnt have the conjunction after the second em dash. Is that ok in poetry? and is it only acceptable in poetry and unacceptable in prose?

example of poetry im writing:

Keen soldiers, numerous and brave!

or

Keen soldiers—numerous and brave!

which of these would be best?
  

Top answer

Whether or not dashes are followed by a conjunction depends on the original sentence they are in. ") Dashes are used as a form of parenthetical expression, like a pair of commas or parentheses. The difference is in emphasis.

— Doctor D

  • Whether or not dashes are followed by a conjunction depends on the original sentence they are in.
  • ") Dashes are used as a form of parenthetical expression, like a pair of commas or parentheses.
  • The difference is in emphasis.
  • I hate vegetables and loud noises.
  • (Original sentence) I hate vegetables (especially broccoli) and loud noises.
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12 Answers
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Whether or not dashes are followed by a conjunction depends on the original sentence they are in. (I assume you do mean "conjunction" -- such as "and" or "but" and not "punctuation.") Dashes are used as a form of parenthetical expression, like a pair of commas or parentheses. The difference is in emphasis.

I hate vegetables and loud noises. (Original sentence)
I hate
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One of the best answers thus far! thanks a million!
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I was wondering if you could help me as well with this question.

In the two examples bellow:

1)You shouldn't question, or interpret, or acknowledge the fact that…

2)Not beast, nor serpent, nor a monster, but a complete and utter tyrant!

Q. is the use of "or" or "nor" correct here?
Q. are commas needed and if so, why?

(I am very much confused about t
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The commas are not needed for the grammatical sense of the sentence. However, they do introduce a dramatic pause after each item (a comma usually indicates a speaking pause), so I would keep them.

The first sentence does not need "nor" after the should not introduction. The "not" applies to each item that follows, so "or" is fine to use. The form is "Not X or Y or Z."

In
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once again—a perfect reply. thanks and much appreciated!
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Doctor D, thanks for your previous help. I ran into a similar issue with a similar sentence and im wondering if the same
"Not X or Y or Z" formula applies here as well.

a) It was not a beast, nor a serpent, nor a monster, but a hideous form of an undiscovered creature.

b) It was not a beast, or a serpent, or a monster, but a hideous form of an undiscovered creature.

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The meanings are pretty much the same. However there is a shift in emphasis, however slight.

In (a), I would say that you are using a suspended meaning. IT WAS is the opening. So, I would read it as:
IT WAS (not a beast, nor a serpent, nor a monster, but) A HIDEOUS FORM OF AN UNDISCOVERED CREATURE!

In (b), I would say that you are first ruling out categories, then pronounci
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Absolutely; I never thought of it this way. Thanks for the detailed description!
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Just out of curiosity, if i was to drop the "it was" entirely from both sentences, would they still hold the same meaning and both be correct?

a) Not a beast, nor a serpent, nor a monster, but a hideous form of an undiscovered creature.
b) Not a beast, or a serpent, or a monster, but a hideous form of an undiscovered creature.
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If you dropped the "it was," you would have simply two different ways of saying the same thing. However, your sentences would no longer be correct because now there would be no verb!
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