These little lines cause more than a little confusion. Here’s a quick-fire introduction to how to use them. Hyphens Let’s start with hyphens, as they’re the easiest (at least in theory!). Hyphens are used exclusively to join parts of words,…
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Got to dash? Hyphens, en dashes and em dashes
Tagged with: compound words, dash, dashes, em dash, em rule, en dash, en rule, hyphen, hyphenation, hyphens, modifier, modifiers
Posted in Proofreading/copy-editing, Punctuation
Posted in Proofreading/copy-editing, Punctuation
The En Rule
A previous post on this blog covered when to use a hyphen (-) and when to use a en dash (–). Under ‘En Dash’, point 2 stated that an en dash is used to show relationships and connections between two words.…
Tagged with: compound, copy-editing, en dash, en rule, equal, hyphen, partnership, proofreading, relationship, rule
Posted in Punctuation
Posted in Punctuation
Punctuation III: Hyphens in Compound Words
I have already talked about the hyphen versus the en dash and now I will look at the hyphen in more detail, concentrating on the use of the hyphen in compound words. Hyphens in compound words Compound words may consist…
Punctuation II : Hyphen v En Dash
Now let’s take a look at the distinction between a hyphen and an en dash. Hyphens (-) and en dashes (–) cannot be used interchangeably. The Hyphen (-) 1. The hyphen is used for linking compound words (e.g. avoid the…