Subsequent dash by comma, and vice-versa

Question

In the sentence "Google - my saviour -, enlighten me," is it acceptable to have a dash followed by a comma, or vice-versa? Or am I utilising the dash incorrectly?

From what I understand, the text in between the dashes serve to add further information to the sentence that isn't already evident, or is relevant to the sentence but not necessarily pertinent to its meaning.

If I am incorrect in what I said in my initial paragraph, does my second paragraph serve to identify where my misunderstanding is arising from?

P.S. even if you find it amusing, please do not punish me for my choice of example post its punctual relevance. Also, if there are any errors in the above quiery, I'd appreciate feedback or correction.

Thanks.

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Hello, Marisa - and welcome to English Forums.

In the sentence "Google - my saviour -, enlighten me," is it acceptable to have a dash followed by a comma, or vice-versa? Or am I utilising the dash incorrectly? -- Two punctuation marks in a row tend to look cluttered, and in this case I would either omit the comma or (better) recast: 'Google, my savior – enlighten me!'

From what I understand, the text in between the dashes serve to add further information to the sentence that isn't already evident, or is relevant to the sentence but not necessarily pertinent to its meaning.-- That is one use, where the m-dashes are informal parentheses.

If I am incorrect in what I said in my initial paragraph, does my second paragraph serve to identify where my misunderstanding is arising from?-- Perhaps. 'my savior' does not seem extraneous, though; it seems an important part of what you wish to express.

MarisaWasHere · Answer

Thank you for the warm greetings.

I can see how my expression can be ambiguous regarding its goal. Thanks for pointing that out for me.

My original statement was going to be "Google, enlighten me". I'm sure that's evident, but just in case the consecutive punctuation marks imply unintended connotations.

Given the base statement "Google, enlighten me," I then wanted to informally add that Google was my saviour in my eyes.

Again, I'm sure you assumed this. So, is 'my saviour' still not an extraneous part of the message?

I should most-definitely revise my punctuation in this area, as, to me, "Google, my saviour - enlighten me" seems to almost reverse the importance of either complements (probably not the word I'm looking for though). Does it not? I'll take note of how you used it for the future if you reserve the advice you gave above.

Thanks a lot for explaining this to me. The insight is greatly appreciated.

Mister Micawber · Answer

My original statement was going to be "Google, enlighten me". I'm sure that's evident, but just in case the consecutive punctuation marks imply unintended connotations.-- Yes; no, they don't.

Given the base statement "Google, enlighten me," I then wanted to informally add that Google was my saviour in my eyes.-- Now we run into problems. Using the vocative and 'enlighten' immediately throws the utterance into the realm of the pseudo-spiritual/religious/mythical/archaic or whatever you might call it, so thinking to 'informally' add is already a breach of register.

Again, I'm sure you assumed this. -- No, I didn't, because 'my saviour' as a phrase seems to serve to complete this spiritual/etc image. So, is 'my saviour' still not an extraneous part of the message?-- Grammatically, yes, because you have decided to enclose it within m-dashes, but not semantically. That is how I read it.

I should most definitely revise my punctuation in this area, as, to me, "Google, my saviour - enlighten me" seems to almost reverse the importance of either complements (probably not the word I'm looking for though). Does it not?-- No, it does not affect the image actually created in any sense; it just simplifies the punctuation for you, and it separates the vocative from the plea neatly.

I'll take note of how you used it for the future if you reserve the advice you gave above.-- Judging from your comments, I think perhaps you are relying too much on punctuation and not enough on the words you are saying. That is of course just how I view it. Other members may have different opinions.

MarisaWasHere · Answer

Thank you very much. You've been an amazing help and influence; I hope to see you around.

Subsequent dash by comma, and vice-versa

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