Dashes

Dashes show dramatic emphasis and can also add clarity when commas are already being used.

1. They fled through the woods, and then George--dear, sweet George the accountant--jumped out from behind a tree and stabbed them.

--dear, sweet George the accountant-- needs to be emphasized because it is unexpected that someone so innocent would be murdered.

2. There was only one thing missing from the pirate ship--pirates.

This dash adds dramatic emphasis.

3. Abby gave me a terrible haircut--and expected a tip.

Use a dash because it shows that the fact that a tip was expected was suprising.

4. All of my schoolwork--English, History, Biology--got washed away in the flood.

As you learned in previous weeks, commas could be used to separate this information; however, since commas are already used to separate items in a list, it is better to use dashes in this instance to add variety and make it easier to read.