12/16/2023 0 Comments En dash usageUse an en dash with time spans, following the same rules as date spans. Using an En Dash with Time Spans and Scores ProWritingAid’s real time grammar checker will prompt you if you use an en dash incorrectly. The “from/between” rule can be tricky to remember. Incorrect: The road will be under construction between August–October.Ĭorrect: The road will be under construction August–October.Ĭorrect: The road will be under construction between August and October. Incorrect: The Golden Age of Piracy was from 1650–1730.Ĭorrect: The Golden Age of Piracy was 1650–1730.Ĭorrect: The Golden Age of Piracy was from 1650 to 1730.ĭays of the week and months of the year follow the same rule as above. Just remember not to use “from” or “between” with the en dash date span. It can also be used to represent date spans. The en dash can be used to show number ranges.Įxample: The professor assigned pages 118–130 as our required reading over the winter holiday. Using an En Dash with Number and Date Ranges Let's take a look at each in detail, along with examples. Remember, never put spaces around the dash. On a typical computer keyboard, you can type an en dash using the ALT key plus the code 0150. Hyphens are used for compound words, like self-esteem, or when writing out numbers, such as forty-five. But each dash has specific functions.Īn em dash-the longer of the two dashes-is used like a comma to separate one thought from another in the same sentence. Many people use all dashes interchangeably, or they’ll use two hyphens in lieu of an en dash or em dash. You should not leave a space between the words or numbers when using an en dash. Most often, an en dash is used to represent a range of numbers, dates, or a time frame. It gets its name from being the same width as a capital N. How Do You Use the En Dash in a Sentence?Īn en dash (–) is slightly wider than a hyphen, but smaller than an em dash.The 621 g diamond is the largest in the world. The 621-gram diamond is the largest in the world. Weather predictions are about 50 percent accurate. The 621-gram diamond is the largest in the world.Ħ. Weather predictions are about 50-percent accurate.ĥ. She served the drinks in 16 ounce mugs.Ĥ. In those cases, the stylebook should serve as the writer’s guiding authority.Ĭorrect the following sentences if needed. Written English in specialized fields such as healthcare, education, and science often adheres to its own specific stylebook. Six-centimeter caterpillar ( Note that we spelled the number here because it’s less than ten and not used with a symbol or abbreviation.) Such usage is standard in mathematical, statistical, technical, or scientific text, where physical quantities and units of time are expressed in numerals, whether whole numbers or fractions, and almost always followed by an abbreviated form of the unit … Note that hyphens are never used between the numeral and the abbreviation or symbol, even when they are in adjectival form.”ġ00 m dash ( Note that CMOS uses a period when abbreviating English units but not when abbreviating metric units.)ĬMOS further advises using a hyphen when the unit, abbreviation, or symbol is spelled out, with the exception of percent. CMOS’s stance can be a bit confusing at times we hope to clarify it in this article.Īccording to CMOS, “if an abbreviation or a symbol is used for the unit of measure, the quantity is always expressed by a numeral. In addressing this topic, we side closer to the 16 th edition of The Chicago Manual of Style. For example, which of the following are correct? This means our guidance for our current hyphen topic may differ from the recommendations you may find in research and scientific stylebooks.Īn issue that still challenges many writers concerns the use and placement of hyphens with numbers and units of measure. Those guidelines likewise look to reinforce a precise and articulate use of the language. aims to help define common written English that applies proper, generally accepted rules. Hyphenation with Numbers and Units of Measureįew punctuation marks prompt as much debate and discussion about when and where to place them as the hyphen does.
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