Grammar Tip 3: Dashes and Hyphens

In Spelling Punctuation and Grammar we learnt about using dashes and hyphens in our writing.

Dashes:

A double dash can be used to add extra information to a sentence as an embedded clause. A double dash can be used to replace commas or brackets in this instance.  An example could be:

The teacher – who was feeling very happy – walked into the classroom.

A single dash can be used to add extra information at the end of a sentence, for example:

The children walked home slowly – they were feeling very tired.

A single dash can also be used to add suspense to our writing, for example:

She smashed down the door and peered into the room – it was empty.

A final example of how to use a single dash comes when using repetition, for example:

The girl looked for her fleece everywhere – everywhere except the classroom!

As a punctuation mark a dash is longer than a hyphen.

Hyphens

A hyphen can be used to split the syllables in a word if the word needs to continue onto the next line.

Hyphens can also be used to join words together for example re-enter.

Finally hyphens can be used to change the meaning of words within a sentence for example 

how does 'The big hair society' differ from 'The big-hair society'?  

As a punctuation mark the hyphen is shorter than a dash.