Type of usage/accuracy.
Are these both ok with the em-dash. Would it just be for emphasis if used instead of a comma or fullstop.
The play was a success and attracted people — This is important because many choose to go to the cinema these days.
The play was a success and attracted many people — proving all the hard work paid off.
When British papers use a 'hyphen' this way... every day. Is it equal to a comma or just used for clarity. Feels like an unnecessary break in the flow of the sentence to me. I could understand a dash for emphasis perhaps.
Britain's most dangerous hate preacher is released from prison under cover of darkness - two years after he was jailed for supporting terrorism.
Top answer
That space-hyphen-space is a British typewritten em dash, and it is not called for in your sample sentence, which takes a comma. Newspapers are poor models for prose. They have peculiar conventions, style strictures born in the days of teletype, and formulaic story plans.
- That space-hyphen-space is a British typewritten em dash, and it is not called for in your sample sentence, which takes a comma.
- Newspapers are poor models for prose.
- They have peculiar conventions, style strictures born in the days of teletype, and formulaic story plans.
- Not that all that is bad, but it is only good for writing in newspapers.
- Also, they are of necessity speedily edited, which makes for mistakes and infelicities.
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That space-hyphen-space is a British typewritten em dash, and it is not called for in your sample sentence, which takes a comma. Newspapers are poor models for prose. They have peculiar conventions, style strictures born in the days of teletype, and formulaic story plans. Not that all that is bad, but it is only good for writing in newspapers. Also, they are of necessity speedily edited, which
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