Dashes

The dash (—) is the dramatic flair, swooping in to interrupt with an urgent thought or a sudden, shocking revelation.

Dashes — Informal writing

Dashes are used in almost the exact same way as semi-colons, colons and brackets can be used, that is, to introduce another clause or sentence.

• I adored my time in Greece – without a doubt.
• The Queen – who is always polite – showed her best.
• The main objective of today – dashes.
• The most enjoyed subject at school this year – mathematics.

Dashes — introduce an afterthought

We use dashes to introduce something of expectancy, sudden or after-thoughtful.

• We spent two hours in class – with no chairs.
• Thomas is a nice guy – at least, I think so.
• We were having a fantastic time at the market – until Rob showed up.
• Today we’ll be covering the present perfect in class – and the past simple.