If you’ve ever found yourself confused about the difference between a dash and a hyphen, and when to use a hyphen, you’re far from alone. When you handwrite them, they probably look exactly the same.
"Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you’ve been to college," said Kurt ...
I still think about the feedback I got on one of my first history essays in high school: “good writing, but you rely too much ...
I saw a discussion on a closed Facebook site about hyphenating compounds, and there was considerable variation of views. The use of hyphens is a vexatious matter even for experienced writers, so ...
When it comes to proper punctuation, choosing between an exclamation point and a question mark is child’s play. The semicolon-vs.-colon decision is a bit tougher to make. But even that can’t compare ...
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been giving this note to my editing clients: “Replace floating hyphen with proper em dash.” It comes up when I’m proofreading images, like PDFs, and I see a hyphen ...
It’s rare that a punctuation mark becomes grist for the online rumor mill. But recently, an uptick in focus on AI and its impacts has brought a Blake Lively-esque level of attention to the em dash, ...
The dash and the hyphen are as different as the kiwi and the kiwi (the fruit and the animal). The hyphen (-) is used to hold two words or two parts of words together. The dash is used to add bonus ...
Law review style is to write number ranges using en dashes (–) rather than hyphens (-). I'd prefer if that wasn't the norm, but it is; and for the Journal of Free Speech Law, we decided to stick with ...