The Dash
Why do writers write? Because it isn’t there. — Thomas Berger
Two weeks ago, we happily found that the semicolon is a simple, yet powerful mark of punctuation. Well, the dash is even more powerful… Originally I was going to post on both the dash and the colon, but then quickly realized the dash truly deserves its own week. So, here’s to you, Emily (Dickinson)!
First, the difference between a dash and a hyphen — a poke of the keyboard! A hyphen involves one poke of the keyboard and is used when composing hyphenated words. A dash requires two pokes and is much more interesting and emphatic than the hyphen.
A dash is like a semicolon in function (joining two like ideas), but is less formal and therefore more impetuous. While a semicolon requires two independent clauses, a dash does not. In fact, it is nearly impossible to incorrectly use a dash (finally!) — unless you do not know why you are using it.
Conventional wisdom believes a dash emphasizes what precedes it, but this really depends on context. Notice the use of the dash in the first stanza of this poem by Dickinson, whose use of the dash to create rhythm, tempo and pace first taught me to love and respect this forceful mark:
My Life had stood — a Loaded Gun –
In Corners — till a Day
The Owner passed — identified –
And carried Me away –
Notice how she creates a halting, ponderous tone and tempo through the use of the dash — consequently, that last line just flies, released from the mid-line dash, until the end. Lovely…
But, again, the beauty of the dash is that you do not need to be a poetic genius to use the dash…! Simply enjoy it…!
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Fantastic article as usual — I am a huge fan of dashes when I’m writing — though I admit to always using a hyphen as I never knew how to make a dash! So when do I use a hyphen? Is that just for joining words together?