Hyphen
In the phrase "a well-known author," is the hyphen between "well" and "known" used correctly or incorrectly?
What is correctly! (It links two words acting as a single adjective before a noun.)
100: The en dash is typically used to represent a range of numbers or dates. Which of the following requires an en dash?
a) New York based company
b) The years 2001 2005
c) A well known fact
Answer: What is b)? (The years 2001–2005. An en dash should replace the word "to" or "through.")
Kenny tried to be dramatic in his essay. Which sentence uses the em dash correctly?
a) The answer, was obvious all along.
b) The answer--was obvious all along.
c) The answer—was obvious all along.
What is c)? (The em dash creates a strong, dramatic break in the sentence.)
Name the three types of lines we use for punctuation, from the shortest to the longest.
What are the hyphen (-), en dash (–), and em dash (—)?
Which sentence uses the hyphen(s) correctly?
a) The twenty-four-year-old student graduated early.
b) The twenty four year old student graduated early.
What is A!
(Hyphens are used in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and in compound adjectives like "twenty-four-year-old.")
The annual soccer match between Team Kaylen and Team Janet is a huge rivalry. It's officially called the Kaylen–Janet game. Why is an en dash, not a hyphen, the correct choice here?
What is because it connects two equal, separate entities (Kaylen and Janet) to show they are opposing each other?
Tanya is listing the members of her new secret club. "My three partners in crime—Larissa, Nimrah, and Juana—are meeting at recess." What is the purpose of the em dashes?
What is to set off the list of names for emphasis and to make them stand out?
Ben is typing his story and wants to make a dramatic pause. He types "The dragon appeared--and we gasped." His teacher says it's a good start, but what should he change?
What is change the two hyphens (--) into a single em dash (—)? (Two hyphens are a typewriter-era stand-in.)
The hyphen is missing in this sentence: "She is a world class athlete." Where should the hyphen be placed, and what is this grammatical structure called?
Where is between "world" and "class" ("world-class athlete"), and what is a compound modifier?
Answer: The final score of the Laney vs. Emely thumb war was a decisive win for Emely. Which is the correct way to write the score?
a) The final score was 10-0.
b) The final score was 10–0.
(Hint: Focus on the dash!)
What is b)? (An en dash is used between scores and numbers in a contest.)
Use an em dash to make it more dramatic. "Davis finally jumped and he missed the rim by a foot."
What is "Davis finally jumped—and he missed the rim by a foot."? (The em dash creates a pause before the embarrassing result.)
Erwin wrote: "My favorite snacks are pizza--ice cream--and candy." Is he using the punctuation correctly to list his three favorite snacks?
What is no? (Em dashes are not for making lists. He should use commas: "pizza, ice cream, and candy.")
Explain the difference in meaning that the hyphen creates in these two phrases: "man eating shark" vs. "man-eating shark."
What is "man eating shark" describes a shark that is eating a man (or is a type of shark), while "man-eating shark" is a compound adjective describing a shark known for eating humans?
Itzel, in her famously tough-aura way, said, "The Dylan–Lea debate was whatever." Why is an en dash better than a hyphen in "Dylan–Lea debate"?
What is because an en dash shows a connection or relationship between two people (Dylan and Lea), like they are opponents or partners in the debate?
What's the difference between writing "Jesus (my best friend) is here" and "Jesus—my best friend—is here"?
What is the parentheses make "my best friend" seem like a quiet, less important detail, while the em dashes shout it out for emphasis, showing how close they are?
How would the feeling of this sentence change if you changed the commas to em dashes? "Emely's new puppy, which is 100% chaos, just ate her homework."
What is changing it to "Emely's new puppy—which is 100% chaos—just ate her homework" makes the chaotic nature of the puppy the star of the sentence, drawing more attention and humor to it.
Correct the hyphen usage in this sentence: "The president elect will hold a press conference to discuss environmentally-friendly policies."
What is "The president-elect will hold a press conference to discuss environmentally friendly policies."? (Explanation: "President-elect" needs a hyphen. "Environmentally" is an adverb ending in -ly, so it should not be hyphenated to "friendly" in a compound modifier.)
Jimena wrote a history paper on "The pre–Civil War era." Her teacher praised her for using an en dash instead of a hyphen. Why is this more correct?
What is because the en dash connects the prefix "pre" to the open compound "Civil War"? It acts as a "super hyphen" to show "pre" applies to the whole two-word concept.
Annabelle wrote a text to describe her weekend: "The pizza was cold, the movie was boring, my phone died, it was the best night ever." Add one em dash to make her sarcasm perfectly clear.
What is "The pizza was cold, the movie was boring, my phone died—it was the best night ever."? (The em dash signals a dramatic shift to the sarcastic punchline.)
Create one sentence about our class that correctly uses all three punctuation marks: a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash.
(Answers may vary) Example: My well-known friend —a true artist —painted the mural during the years 2023–2024.