How To Use Brackets And Dashes

To get a true em dash in ms word and some other word processors use ctrl alt with the minus sign the one on your number pad.

How to use brackets and dashes. Although ms word converts a hyphen to a longer en dash automatically when you put spaces at either side of it and press space or enter after the following word this is not actually the correct form of punctuation. It is usually used as an alternative to another type of punctuation. The sentence should always make sense without the parenthesis whether commas dashes or brackets are used. You can also use two lines not just one which is a hyphen 9. This lesson we will be covering how to use brackets and dashes accurately a very useful skill.

Using the en dash to denote a connection. Parenthesis is a word or clause inserted into a text to show an afterthought or as extra information. Use brackets when the information is purely incidental and unimportant but may help some readers. Sign up to complete it for free or. When the dash is used in this way it creates a compound adjective.

Use the hyphen at the end of a syllable. Dashes are generally more informal and are often used in emails or other casual writing. You will need a pen and paper. Also remember that a dash is composed of either an em dash first three sentences above or en dash bottom sentence. A pair of brackets commas or dashes can be used to enclose the extra information or.

Just be careful not to overuse the dash as it s less formal than other punctuation. The dashes can be found under special characters. The extra info blends smoothly with the rest of the text. Generally speaking the dash does not have a unique role. See the following examples.

Use for a word that is too long to fit at the end of a sentence. The plural of parenthesis is parentheses. Use commas when you do not want to disrupt the flow. The en dash may also be used to indicate a connection between two words. Use an en dash when you need to connect terms that are already hyphenated or when you are using a two word phrase as a modifier.