Flashcard 8 - Writing and Language Flashcard Set for the PSAT/NMSQT Exam

Dashes (—) surround words or phrases that an author wants to emphasize. A dash can also signal a change of thought or additional information to come.

An example of dashes used for emphasis: “I walked to the park—three whole miles—just so my brother could play on the swings.”

An example of a dash to signal a change of thought: “What time can we expect—oh here she comes now!”

An example of a dash before more information: “Here, you can hold my keys—they’re on a ring.”

Tip: if your keyboard doesn’t have a “dash” button, hold “ALT” and press 0151. Don’t confuse a hyphen(-) with a dash (—). On one popular computer brand, you can press “option” alone or “alt” and “shift” together, while pressing the hyphen key, to produce a dash. On some older operating systems, a dash will automatically appear when you type two hyphens in a row.