A dash indicates a break in thought or the addition of information within a sentence or at its end. A dash is typed using two hyphens. There is no space before or after the punctuation mark.
Example:
- The woman came running around the corner—I couldn’t see her face—and disappeared down the alley.
- This building—and every building on the street—is overdue for repairs.
- Paul White—you know the man I mean—told me the ballgame would be canceled tomorrow.
NOTE: A dash can be used to mean namely, that is, or in other words to introduce additional information or an explanation.
Example:
- I thought about taking another route—the one through West Virginia.
- There’s only one way to ride that horse—take out a lot of accident insurance.
