Writing Center Handouts

Typing two hyphens with no space between them forms a dash. Do not put a space on either side of a dash. The dash should be used for a specific reason, should not be overused, and is less often used in formal writing.

• Use a dash to mean namely, in other words, or that is before an explanation:

  The man—the one with his hand in the air—looks desperate.

• Use a dash to indicate an abrupt break in thought:

  The professor was unwilling to change the due date—even for a candy bar!

  If the sentence resumes after the break, use a second dash:

  The professor was unwilling—even for a candy bar!—to change the due date.

  After the professor made her statement—“I’ll extend the due date, but just this one time.” —we applauded.

• Use a dash to interrupt the idea in a sentence to insert another, related, idea:

  The student—the one dressed in black, sitting in the corner—let out a cry.

• Use a dash to take the place of the more formal colon, particularly when you want to emphasize a point:

  Students were asked to bring their own supplies—food, tents, sleeping bags.

• Use a pair of dashes in place of the more formal parentheses, although a statement between two dashes tends to have more impact than one within parentheses:

  The participants—two from group A and two from group B—tested negatively.

• Use a dash at the beginning and end of a series separated by commas:

  The students—Jim, Marla, and Sara—were told they could leave.

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