34 is the spelling of a dash in a sentence. Colon and dash in non-union complex sentences

Dash and hyphen- outwardly very similar signs that resemble a small horizontal line, but differ significantly in use. Very often on the Internet and even in printed publications, authors and editors do not pay attention to correct usage dashes and hyphens.

Hyphen(old. division from it. Divis- connecting sign, division sign, from lat. division- (time) division), dash- a non-alphabetic spelling mark in Russian and many other scripts that separates parts of a word. Graphically, a hyphen is shorter than a dash.

• It divides a word into syllables when it breaks to a new line, and also divides parts of compound words, for example, brick red, wardrobe, bright yellow, firebird, southwest, social democrat, Mamin-Sibiryak, Rostov-on-Don, Don Quixote.
• Abbreviations are also written with a hyphen island(society), dr(doctor), etc.
• A hyphen is used to attach some prefixes or particles to a word: say it in english.
• Particles are written through a hyphen something, something, something.
• When wrapping a word from one line to another, the hyphen always remains on the first line. The hyphen is written together with the words both preceding it and following it, that is, the hyphen is never separated by spaces. The only case when a space is placed after the hyphen is when the first two parts are substituted in turn for the second part of the compound word. For example: radio-, tele- and video performances.

Dash(fr. tired, from tirer - stretch) - one of punctuation marks used in many languages. The dash was introduced into Russian writing by the writer and historian N. M. Karamzin. The dash is medium (it is also called short) and long.

• En dash also called “en-dash”, “n-dash”, because its length is equal to the width of the letter N. An en dash is placed between numbers, for example, 5-10. In this case, the en dash is not set off by spaces.
• Em dash also called "em-dash", "m-dash", because its length is equal to the width of the letter M). The em dash is the dash. It is placed between words at the syntactic level and is separated from the surrounding words by spaces, that is, it separates parts of the sentence: subject and predicate, which are nouns in the nominative case. An em dash indicates a long pause in a sentence. For example, "Dash is a punctuation mark." Also, a dash is used in incomplete sentences when there is no predicate or both main members of the sentence. For example, "Overhead - a cloudless sky." A dash expresses a special intonation. The em dash is used in direct speech.

Every writer has their own "favorite" punctuation rules. But from the experience of working at preparatory courses and the preparatory department of Moscow State University, the author of this article knows that the use of a dash is one of the most complex and, so to speak, erroneous punctuation rules. It seems to us that this is due to the erroneous ideas of the majority of schoolchildren about the optionality of the dash, its almost complete identity with the comma. Having memorized, as a rule, some of the rules most well set out in school textbooks and manuals for university applicants (for example, a dash between the subject and predicate, expressed nouns; a dash between parts of a complex sentence), not all students are able to generalize in their minds the cases of the possible use of a dash In russian language. Textbooks rarely offer consolidated chapters on this issue, the tradition of compiling reference and teaching aids is by groups of rules, and not by signs. Meanwhile, the current "Rules of Russian Spelling and Punctuation" (M.: Uchpedgiz, 1956) offer exactly the first way, in the "Punctuation" section, the principles for setting certain punctuation marks, including dashes are set out (This work, paragraphs 164-179, p. 98-104).

This article aims to pay attention to most of the cases of setting a dash in writing (we deliberately do not touch on those cases that are rarely used by most writers, and primarily by schoolchildren), after all sections, exercises will be given to check the learned material.

First of all, we must remember that there are two different types dash. A single dash is a character from the separating group (For more information about separating and highlighting characters, see: Russian language. Tutorial for in-depth study in high school. Part 2. Morphology. Syntax. Punctuation. / Bagryantseva V.A., Bolycheva E.M., Galaktionova I.V., Zhdanova L.A., Litnevskaya E.I. - M., Moscow State University, 2000., p. 180). Such a dash is used as a sign dividing a sentence into two parts (for example, a dash can be placed between the subject and the predicate in a simple sentence or between two parts of a complex one), or as a punctuation mark, similar in function to a comma, but adding an additional semantic connotation to the sentence . A separating dash in a simple sentence, in addition, is used with homogeneous members with a generalizing word. Along with this, in the rules related to the isolation of sentence members and introductory words, a double dash is used as a highlighting sign, which is in many ways similar to two commas.

Consider these groups of rules and determine what difficulties are encountered in their application. The most common mistakes will be analyzed in detail, and it is for these cases that practical tasks will be offered.

1. DASH BETWEEN SUBJECT AND VERB

The need to put a dash between the subject and the predicate is associated with the omission of the auxiliary part in the compound types of the predicate. In some cases, the setting of a dash is associated only with the form of the main terms, in others there are additional formal reasons indicating the need to put a dash. The rules below deal with the dash rules themselves and their exceptions.

A DASH IS PLACED:

The subject is expressed by a noun, the predicate is a compound nominal with a zero link and a nominal part expressed by a noun (that is, both main members are expressed by nouns): Snow White is the main character of a famous children's fairy tale and a wonderful cartoon by Walt Disney Studios.(All examples in the article are invented by the author. In cases where the fantasy left the author, examples from the literature were used. References will be given to all these cases). Particular attention should be paid to the following dash priority cases:

If the sentence has the character of a logical definition - A fairy tale is a genre of folklore in which magical characters act and magical events take place.

If the sentence refers to the book style and contains a characteristic, an assessment of the phenomenon - Animation is the best achievement of the 20th century.

In sentences of identity (subject and predicate express one concept) - Everyone knows that in any fairy tale stepmother is also an evil witch.

After a group of homogeneous subjects - Grumpy, Kind, Modest, Quiet - the names of Snow White's closest friends.

With structural parallelism of parts - Love for work is the dignity of Snow White, narcissism is a feature of her stepmother.
To clarify the meaning of the sentence - The older sister is her best friend. Her older sister is her stepmother's best friend.

Both main terms are expressed by infinitives, or one is expressed by a noun and the other by an infinitive: Dreaming of meeting a prince for any girl is just torturing yourself in vain. To meet him in fact is a great happiness.

Before the words this, this is, it means, this means, here. - Looking in the mirror, the stepmother said: "Yes, beauty is a terrible force."

Both main members are numerals, or one is a numeral and the other is a noun: Counting all the socks lying on the floor and folding them in pairs, Snow White guessed that the number of gnomes was seven..

AS A RULE, A DASH IS PUT:

The subject is expressed by the infinitive, the predicate is a compound nominal with a zero link and a nominal part expressed by an adverb with the meaning of the state, but only if there is a pause between the main members: From childhood, Snow White realized that it was dangerous not to fulfill her duties of cleaning the palace, because her stepmother checked the cleanliness in the rooms every day.

With the subject expressed by the word THIS, if there is a logical pause after this word - This is the very beginning of the story, and the continuation will be later.(Compare: This is not a bad start.)

ATTENTION!

Before the dash in all the cases discussed above, according to the conditions of the context, there may be a comma. This is possible if there is a separate member of the sentence before the place of the dash or subordinate clause. In this case, the writer puts two unrelated signs: a comma that closes one revolution, and a dash between the subject and the predicate.

The most common writing mistake is not putting a comma before the dash. It is on attentiveness to this problem that we propose the task given below.

Task 1. Put punctuation marks. In cases where there is a comma before the dash, explain its setting. (The task used examples from the essays of students of the preparatory courses of the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University).

1. Eugene Onegin main character of the novel of the same name by A.S. Pushkin, a nobleman by origin and an “extra” person by character.

2. Vladimir Lensky, a romantic and a dreamer who lived for several years in "Foggy Germany", is not able to distinguish between real and fictional life.

3. Ilya Ilyich Oblomov, who spent his childhood in an atmosphere of universal love and worship, is a typical gentleman in manners and constantly expects from those around him the same attitude towards himself that he used to receive from his relatives in childhood.

4. This poem, written in the genre of a friendly message, is the brightest creation of Pushkin the romantic.

5. Romanticism, which in Russian literature is closely associated with the names of Pushkin and Lermontov, is one of the literary trends of students inner world and the psychology of the characters.

THE DASH IS NOT USUALLY SET:

The subject is expressed by a noun, the predicate is a compound nominal with a zero connective and a nominal part expressed by a noun, and at the same time:

The sentence is simple, conversational style : "My father is a king"- modestly answered Snow White to the question of the gnomes.

Between the subject and the predicate there are comparative conjunctions AS, AS IF, AS IF, EXACTLY, LIKE AS, EVERYTHING IS THE SAME THAT: "Snow White's eyes are like two bright stars, her skin is like the first snow, her hair is like night," the mirror impassively explained to the enraged queen.

The predicate is preceded by the negation NOT: "The queen is no longer the first beauty of the kingdom," the courtiers whispered among themselves.

Between the subject and the predicate there is an introductory word or particle: The king is probably good man, but he became a toy in the hands of an evil and treacherous wife. The walk is just an excuse to take Snow White into the dense forest and leave her there.

Before the predicate there is a minor member related to it: "Snow White is our friend!" - the dwarfs assured Grumpy, but he stubbornly did not want to come to terms with the presence of a woman in the house.

In a sentence reverse order words - the predicate precedes the subject: "Glorious little prince!" - such was the unanimous opinion of the gnomes and forest animals.

Important: in many of the cases listed above, a dash is possible if it is necessary to emphasize intonation the division of a sentence into two parts or to highlight one of the main members.

The subject is expressed by a personal pronoun, the predicate is a compound nominal with a zero connective and a nominal part expressed by a noun: All the inhabitants of the kingdom knew that Snow White is a very good girl, she is smart, she is beautiful, she is very kind and attentive.

When logically emphasizing the pronoun-subject, highlighting it with intonation: "I am the first beauty of the kingdom"- the queen proudly declared to each new guest.

When contrasting personal pronouns-subjects in identically constructed parts of a sentence: "I am the queen and you are the servant"- said the evil stepmother and ordered her maid to take Snow White into the forest and kill her.

One of the main members is expressed by an interrogative pronoun, the other by a noun in the nominative case or a personal pronoun : "Tell us, girl, who are you, who are your parents and why did you wander into such a thicket alone?" the dwarfs asked Snow White in surprise.

The predicate is expressed by an adjective, pronominal adjective or prepositional case form: The forest around Snow White is empty and gloomy, the sun is not visible behind the crowns of trees, no bird voices are heard.

In this case, you can put a dash:

With the logical division of a sentence into two parts and its intonational division: Snow White's voice is pure, clear, bewitching, so the prince decided to see who was singing so tenderly.

With structural parallelism of parts of a complex sentence: The night is warm, the stars are shining, the moon is round, so Snow White did not feel fear, left alone in the forest.

Task 2. Arrange the missing punctuation marks in the following passage from the Russian fairy tale, explain your decision.

Not having your own home is terribly disappointing. Loneliness is even more offensive, especially when you are a lover of chatting and gossip and there is no one to gossip with. All these thoughts ran through the head of the mouse, which walked sadly across the field and was looking for a lodging for the night. Suddenly the mouse stopped(:,-) "What is this ahead of you?" And this is a teremok. Teremok standing in the field and hidden in the thickets of wild flowers is an ideal haven for a lonely little animal. And what a handsome man he is! The steps are carved, the shutters are painted, the roof is like a tent, the rooms are large, the windows are to the east. To live in such even one is already happiness.

The mouse is located in the teremka. And to dream also about a neighbor in the tower only to upset yourself in vain. Her task is to make the teremok even more cozy home, and there come what may.

But this is just the beginning of the tale. The next day a frog ran past. Boredom is a terrible misfortune for any animal, and the frog was desperately bored in his swamp where to live means to eat sleep and croak. And the frog wanted to communicate! So she left the swamp and came to the tower and knocked.

"Tell me, please, who are you and why did you come?" - asked a frightened mouse from behind the door. "I am a frog, but who are you?" - declared no less frightened frog. “I am the mistress of this house, a mouse, and the frog seems to be an animal that lives in the water,” the norushka calmed down a little. "Mice are not a decree for us frogs," the frog proudly remarked, and then said (:,-) "I am alone and you are alone, let's live together!". "A glorious animal frog," thought the mouse, and let the unexpected neighbor go.

2. DASH IN INCOMPLETE SENTENCE.

A sentence is called incomplete. "with lexically unexpressed members, which are easily restored in meaning from the context"(Russian language: Textbook for in-depth study in high school. Part 2. Morphology. Syntax. Punctuation. / Bagryantseva V.A., Bolycheva E.M., Galaktionova I.V., Zhdanova L.A., Litnevskaya E. .I. - M., Moscow State University, 2000 - S. 132) ". Incompleteness is often due to the omission of the predicate, and this omission is associated either with the name of the predicate earlier in the context, or with the special structure of the sentence, when the predicate is not needed (such a sentence is called elliptical ) It is this omission of the predicate in writing that is indicated by the setting of a dash.

A DASH IS PLACED:

If there is a pause in elliptical sentences (instead of a predicate) - Outside, it's raining.

With parallelism of structures - Everything on this side is mine, and on the other side is also mine, and the forest is mine, and beyond the forest is mine.(free presentation famous words Nozdrev).

In sentences of a special structure that have two nouns in the stem (one in the form dative case, other in the form accusative), clearly divided into two parts - "Idiot! Baba - flowers, children - ice cream!"- shouts the hero Papanova in the film "The Diamond Arm".
If an incomplete sentence is part of a complex one, and the missing member is easily restored from the context - Some Americans voted for Bush, others for Gore, but in the end it didn't matter.

3. A DASH IN A SIMPLE SENTENCE WITH HOMOGENEOUS TERMS.

A dash can be used between two homogeneous members of a sentence when they are contrasted or when indicating suddenness (in the latter case, verbs-predicates will be homogeneous members): Snow White wanted not to cry - to sob with fear, but she restrained herself and carefully walked through the forest. The prince saw Snow White - and immediately fell in love with her.

A dash is used between two homogeneous members connected by a double union, when the second part of the union is omitted: The Queen not only did not love - she simply hated the beautiful Snow White. It was not that she humiliated the princess - she tormented and scolded her in every possible way.

If there is a generalizing word after a group of homogeneous members of the sentence, a dash is placed before it: On the table, on the windowsill, on the floor, under the beds, things belonging to the gnomes were scattered everywhere.

With the same order of homogeneous terms and a generalizing word, an introductory word may also appear before the generalizing word. In this case, there is a dash before the introductory word, and after (before the generalizing word) - a comma: And deer, and squirrels, and hares, and various birds - in a word, all forest animals came to visit Snow White during the day, when the dwarves went to work.

If the generalizing word comes before a group of homogeneous members, but the sentence does not end after the group of homogeneous members, then a dash is placed after this group: All the dwarfs: Kind, and Quiet, and Modest, and Simpleton, and even Grumpy - fell in love with Princess Snow White very much and begged her to stay with them.

A dash can be put instead of a colon after a generalizing word before a group of homogeneous members, if homogeneous members have the nature of an application or refinement: Fairy tales are loved by everyone - both adults and children.

ATTENTION!

Before the dash in the last three cases, according to the conditions of the context, there may be a comma. This is possible if there is a separate member of the sentence or a subordinate clause before the place of the dash. In this case, the writer puts two unrelated signs: a comma that closes one revolution, and a dash between the subject and the predicate.

In addition, for paragraph 4 it is very important to distinguish between cases where a group of homogeneous members after a generalizing word breaks a simple sentence, and cases when we have a complex sentence, the first part of which ends with a group of homogeneous members. In this case, after the end of the specified group, there will be a comma (or a colon, or a semicolon), and if necessary, to put a dash between the parts, we will additionally have to put a comma. But this will be discussed below, in the section on dashes in a complex sentence, and now we offer training on the groups of rules we have just considered.

Task 3. Arrange the missing punctuation marks in the following passage from the Russian fairy tale, explain your decision.

The mouse and the frog, not that they became friends, somehow got used to each other during the two days spent together. They put things in order everywhere: both in the rooms and in the yard and in the basement of the teremok and decorated the entire teremok with flower arrangements. For two days, new girlfriends talked about everything about life and friends and about the most secret and intimate dreams.

On the third day life together rain outside the window. You look out the window and you don’t even see cornflowers growing near the tower. Friends sit in a warm kitchen and drink tea. Suddenly there is a knock outside the window. And standing in the yard is not only a hare, soaked to the skin, somehow shrinking from the cold. The "girls" let him into the teremok and gave him tea with honey, raspberries and cranberry jam found by the mouse in the cellar with everything that they could offer the new guest. "I am the mistress of the tower, a mouse, this is a frog, my neighbor, and who are you?" - asked the mouse. "And I'm a hare, let me in! I can not only guard the house and carpentry and hammer a nail and kindle a fire in the stove, I'll do everything you say." The mouse and the frog were not just happy, they jumped for joy. And so they began to live together.

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A dash, as a rule, is used in non-union complex sentences to indicate the nature of the semantic connection between its parts. However, there are other uses of this punctuation mark.

The setting of the dash is governed by the following rules of Russian grammar:

1. T Ire is placed in sentences with a compound nominal predicate, between the subjects and the predicate. In sentences of this kind, the predicate, as a rule, is a generic concept in relation to the subject. For example:

• The tiger is a predator;
• Cow - artiodactyl;
• Birch is a tree.

Note 1. However, if the subject and predicate are the negative particle "not", then the dash is not put.

Note 2. A dash between the subject and the predicate is not put if they are used in an interrogative sentence, and the subject is expressed by a pronoun, for example:

2. E If in a sentence the subject is expressed by a noun, and the predicate is expressed by an indefinite form of the verb (infinitive), or both are expressed by an infinitive, then a dash is placed between them.

3. T Ire is placed before the words “this”, “means”, “this is”, “here”, etc. in sentences where the predicate is expressed by a noun in the nominative case or infinitive. As a rule, these words serve to attach the predicate to the subject, and also indicate that a comparison or definition will now follow.

4. T Ire is placed in sentences with enumerations before the generalizing word.

5. T Ire is placed before the application at the end of the sentence in two cases:

• If you can put the construction “namely” before the application without distorting the meaning of the sentence, for example: I don't like this animal too much - a cat.
• If explanatory words are used in the application, and the author needs to additionally indicate the independence of this construction, for example: I had a cast-iron teapot with me - my only consolation in traveling around the Caucasus.

6. T Ire is placed between two predicates or between parts of a complex sentence in the event that the author needs to unexpectedly attach or sharply contrast them in relation to each other.

Note 1. In order to enhance the shade of surprise, a dash can also be placed after coordinating conjunctions that connect parts of one sentence.

Note 2. In addition, for even more surprise, a dash can separate any part of a sentence.

According to the rules of the Russian language, there is no need to put a dash in these sentences. However, it is put only in order to better convey the meaning and reflect what really happened.

7. T The ire is placed between the parts of the non-union complex sentence in the event that the second part contains the result or conclusion from what was said in the first.

8. T Ire is placed between parts of an asyndetic complex sentence if there is a type of connection between them “subordinate part - main part”.

9. T ire is set to indicate the boundary of the decay simple sentence into two verbal groups. This is done only if it is impossible to single out this disintegration by other means.

Very often, such a decay is observed when one of the members of the sentence is omitted

10. K In addition, with the help of a dash, they distinguish:

• Sentences and words used in the middle of a sentence and serving to explain what was said, but only if the brackets can weaken the connection between the insertion and what is being explained;
• A common application in the event that it comes after the noun being defined and needs to emphasize its own independence;
• Homogeneous members of a sentence, if they are in the middle of a sentence and need special emphasis.

11. T The ire can be used as an additional punctuation mark after a comma in sentences where there are two repeated words, and this repetition is needed in order to connect one part of this sentence with another.

12. T Ire is placed after a group of subordinate clauses before the main part of a complex sentence in order to emphasize the split into two semantic parts.

13. T ire is put in paired constructions, meaning any temporal, spatial or quantitative framework, and in this case it is synonymous with a pair of prepositions “from ... to”. That is, a dash is placed between two words to indicate the limits of space, time or quantity.

14. T Ire is placed between two or more proper names, the totality of which is called any doctrine, scientific institution, etc.

Also, a dash is used as an additional decimal point to indicate a transition from an increase to a decrease in a period. The dash is placed as an additional sign after the comma, which separates the main clause from the group of subordinate clauses preceding it, if it is necessary to emphasize the splitting of a single whole into two parts.

A dash is placed as an additional decimal point before a word that is repeated in order to connect a new sentence with it (more often a subordinate, reinforcing, supplementing or developing the main sentence) or a further part of the same sentence. A dash is placed to indicate the place where a simple sentence breaks up into two word groups, if this cannot be expressed by other punctuation marks or word order.

A dash is placed between two sentences if they are connected in meaning as a subordinate clause (in the first place) with the main clause (in the second place), but there are no subordinating conjunctions. A dash is placed between sentences not connected by conjunctions if the second sentence contains a result or conclusion from what is said in the first.

A dash is placed between two sentences and between two homogeneous members of a sentence, connected without the help of unions, to express a sharp contrast. A dash is placed between two predicates and between two independent sentences if the second of them contains an unexpected attachment or sharp opposition to the first.

A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate if the subject is expressed in the nominative form of the noun and the predicate is in the indefinite form, or if both of them are expressed in the indefinite form.

The correct use of hyphens and dashes often creates confusion among writers, typesetters, and printers. This question, sooner or later, concerns every person - we write and read, and the incorrect use of these punctuation marks makes the text ugly and distorts the semantic load embedded in it. The answer to the question of what a hyphen and a dash are, the difference in their spelling and the visual difference between the signs will help everyone to use the unique Russian language more competently.

Hyphen: em dash

Hyphen function - dividing a word into pieces. Graphically, this orthographic sign is approximately 3 times shorter than a dash.

How to use a hyphen in the Russian language correctly will help voluminous and full of exceptions, the rules that come down to enumeration of many special cases:

Other uses of the hyphen:

• Writing parts of a word in linguistic texts. For example: prefix at-, ending - ut.
• Designation of important parts or syllables of a word: at-lo-same-e.
• In fictional stories, the importance of the word spoken by the hero is indicated: “ Attention, once again I say pay attention ...».

When is a dash in a sentence?

The use of a dash in sentences, as well as a hyphen, has its own punctuation rules. Along with the use of a comma in the text, which is often mistakenly placed in the wrong places, dash application has the following features:

Between subject and predicate.	The expression of the present and the predicate in the nominative case: Dog - best friend human.
	The subject is in the nominative case, and the predicate is expressed in an indefinite form: Life to live is not a field to run across.
Before particles or a generalizing word.	Particles it, here etc.: Hardness is the best quality of this material.
	Before generalizing words: Thoughtfulness, attentiveness and diligence - best qualities schoolboy.
Designation of quantitative limits.	Time limit: Cook over low heat for 20 - 25 minutes.
	Spatial limit: Flight Moscow - Tula.

The table above describes the cases that most common when using a dash in Russian.

This sign is also used:

• After conjunctions, to express surprise: Went to bed and fell asleep instantly.
• Between homogeneous members: Who is well done - I am well done!
• Notation of direct speech dialogues : - Yes, I agree with you, - said Lenin.

How to put a hyphen in Word?

Almost all users working with the operating Windows system, for typing use text word editors or OpenOffice.

Consider how to put a hyphen in the text in the first option:

• hypsominus. There is only one symbol on the keyboard, which means "dash". It is located above the letters "Z" and "X", to the right of the number "0". Many do not understand its true meaning and often put this sign as a minus, dash, hyphen, hyphen. In fact, this symbol, by its size, is below the minus and hyphen. How is it usually used? For a dash put two - three hypsominus contract. Ugly, but if not technical feasibility- will do as well.
• Non-breaking hyphen. We found out that for the designation in document hyphen use symbol defosominus(-) or, as the people say, the minus sign. But there is an easy way that few people know about - using special keys to create a non-breaking hyphen (dash). What do I need to do? Press combination Ctrl+minus. Please note: the keyboard layout must be on English language and the minus sign is pressed on the numeric keypad on the right.

How to put a dash in Word?

Anyone who believes that with the help of a dash, minus and hyphen you can solve all the problems of punctuation in Word - they are very mistaken. But more on that below. Now let's talk about the dash and how it can be put in the Word.

There are two types of dashes:

1. Em dash - used in Russian typography.
2. En dash - also called "medium", used in Western typography.

Likewise, there are three ways (the third is the easiest) to insert dashes into text:

• Inserting a dash with a character rate.

1. Set the cursor to the place where you want to put a dash:
2. Selecting a menu item Tab. In the tab we are looking for an inscription Symbol.
3. In the window that appears, select the button Other symbols, look for an em dash and click Insert.

• Inserting a dash through special key combinations:

1. Em dash. Press the ALT key and type in the numeric keypad Numpad on the right 0151 and release Alt.
2. En dash. Similarly to the previous paragraph, we type ALT + 0150. In both cases, the keyboard layout must be set to English.

• Automatic software insert, enabled by default in all versions:

1. We write a word.
2. We press the spacebar.
3. Put a minus sign (en dash)
4. Press the spacebar again.
5. We write the next word.
6. We press the key again and after that the dash turns into a hyphen.

Practice: En dash or em dash

What's in practice? The reality is that about 95% of users use the short (Western) version as a dash. It is connected with two features:

1. Appearance. The domestic version seems to many to be very long and constantly catches the eye.
2. Automatic replacement. The combination of special keys is good. But not everyone knows about them, and who knows - the introduction of symbols is long and thankless. On the other hand, after the user enters a hyphen, make a space and write the following words: occurs automatic replacement character to an en dash.

9 types of horizontal lines

Consider all the horizontal lines that exist in the printing house, from the shortest hypsominus to the longest horizontal line.

1. hypsominus. The shortest, used as a hyphen or minus.
2. Hyphen. To separate words into parts.
3. Minus. in mathematical terms.
4. digital dash. For example, to record a phone number.
5. Transfer. Word wrap to the next line.
6. List marker. Used in unordered lists.
7. En dash. The dash standard used throughout the world.
8. Em dash. Russian standard dash.
9. horizontal bar. Analogue of the em dash, which is used in the west in dialogue.

Now, while typing complex text or when designing a holiday card, no one should have difficulty using symbols such as hyphens and dashes. The difference is obvious: a hyphen acts as a spelling mark and is placed in the middle of a phrase, a dash is a punctual mark that is placed between words.

Video lesson: how to distinguish a hyphen from a dash?

In this video, Eduard Krasnov will conduct a short educational program, teach you to distinguish a hyphen from a dash:

Not all Internet users understand exactly what a dash and a hyphen are. What is the difference between them? It is wrong to use them interchangeably from the point of view of the rules of the Russian language. Each character has its own meaning and input method. Moreover, in fact, more than two characters have been developed to indicate dashes in the text.

What is a hyphen

A hyphen is a spelling mark that separates parts of a word. It looks like a short horizontal dash.

Since it is part of the word, it does not beat off with spaces. The only case where a space is placed to the right of this sign is in enumerations in which only the first part of the word changes, while the second part remains the same. For example: television and radio broadcasting.

Sometimes a non-breaking hyphen is used instead of a regular hyphen. It is needed so that the constituent parts of words are not broken into different lines. In this case, the word will either remain on the previous line, or will be completely transferred to a new one.

When is a hyphen used?

To understand when a hyphen is put, and when a dash, you need to remember the rules of the Russian language. A hyphen is placed inside words.

General rules when you need to write words with a hyphen:

• repetition of one word: quietly, barely;
• repetition of words with the same stem: long ago, alone;
• a combination of synonyms: quietly and quietly, clever - wise;
• compound words, the first part of which is a numeral written in numbers: 100 percent, 25 years;
• increments after ordinal numbers: 7th, 12th;
• special terms and names, which include a single letter of the alphabet: α‑rays, β‑rays;
• abbreviations of complex adjectives that are written together: w.‑d. (railroad) - but railway. (Railway).

In addition, nouns are written with a hyphen in such cases:

• compound words without connecting vowels -o-, -e-: cafe-restaurant, diesel engine;
• titles political parties and their participants/supporters: social-democracy, social-democrat;
• complex units of measurement: man-day, kilowatt-hour, but workday;
• intermediate cardinal directions, including foreign ones: northwest, northwest;
• compound surnames: Mamin-Sibiryak, Rimsky-Korsakov;
• some geographical names: Kamenetz‑Podolsk, Orekhovo‑Zuyevo;
• words with the first part ober-, non-commissioned officer, lifeguard, ex-, vice-: vice president, non-commissioned officer;
• application for the word being defined: an old mother, a beautiful girl.

Now consider when to write adjectives with a hyphen (with examples):

• formed from nouns that are written with a hyphen: social democratic, diesel engine;
• consist of equivalent components: meat and milk, English and German;
• indicate shades of colors: white-blue, yellow-green.

These are the main cases when you need to write words with a hyphen. The use of dashes in complex words is considered a blunder.

What is a dash

Dash is punctuation mark. It is placed between individual words. On both sides it must be beaten off with spaces, and on the left - inseparable. This is necessary so that the sign "sticks" to the previous word and does not wrap to the next line (or wrap immediately with this word). A newline can only start with a dash if a dialog is passed.

The dash is usually divided into long and short dashes. Each of them has its own use cases. Let us consider in more detail the features of the use of dashes and hyphens. What is the difference between these characters?

When to put an em dash

Let's analyze the basic rules for a dash. In the case of a long sign, there are more of them, since this is the classic dash that we met at school. In other words, we have to remember the rules for punctuation in sentences.

The dash is used in the following cases:

• Between the subject and the predicate, if they are expressed by nouns in the nominative case or indefinite forms of the verb: to love is to live. The teacher is my friend.
• After listing before the generalizing word: russula, mushrooms, ceps, he collected a lot of mushrooms.
• Before the appendix at the end of the sentence: Petya came to visit me - my best friend.
• In place of the missing members of the sentence: I left the room, and my friend followed me.

In some cases, you need to put a dash between sentences (see examples below):

• With a sharp opposition or an unexpected turn of events: he turned around - but she was not there.
• Between the parts of the complex unionless proposal, if the second part indicates the result of what the first says: I told the truth - it became easier.

Of course, there are many more rules for dashes, these are just the main points that occur most often. The use of a hyphen in such cases is unacceptable.

What is an en dash

Let's try to understand even more deeply the difference between a dash and a hyphen. What is the difference? We need to get acquainted with one more sign - an en dash (it is also called an average). Today, it is extremely rare on the Internet. The problem is that in most cases this symbol is simply not familiar to specialists developing websites. And there are reasons for this: the symbol came to us from the English-language printing house.

In width, it is equal to the letter N, which is why it was called en dash. By the way, a long character is equal to M in width, which is why it is called em dash.

Ranges

Long time to indicate the range, an em dash without spaces was used. But today it is increasingly being replaced by a short one, and many resources are accepting it as a standard. That is, the spelling should be like this: 2000-2010, 10-12, 63-70.

The character is not preceded by a space, because the range is semantically one whole. But if we are talking about an indefinite interval with a difference of one step, then you need to put a hyphen: 2-3, 4-5.

Many are wondering what sign to put between the years - a dash or a hyphen? The answer is obvious: an en dash, because we are talking about a specific period of time: 1900-1902.

For temperatures, this method is unacceptable, since these units can have negative values. Here the range must be set through ellipsis.

Phone numbers

To date, there is no consensus on the writing of telephone numbers. In particular, Gramota.ru orders to use a hyphen, and this option is considered generally accepted. En dash spelling is gaining popularity. However, from a logical point of view, both theories are incorrect. The hyphen is still a spelling mark, and it is put in words. Also the phone number is not a range.

A special symbol has been developed for numbers - the so-called figure dash (digital dash).

What is the minus sign

As a minus, a regular hyphen is often used. Sometimes there is a variant with an en dash. In fact, a separate sign has also been developed in this case. The bottom line is that the minus in width should be equal to the plus. The minus character is longer than a hyphen, but slightly shorter than a dash.

The minus, like other mathematical symbols, must be beaten off with non-breaking spaces: 25 - 5 = 20.

How to put a transfer

A hyphen is often indicated with a hyphen. It's almost correct option. The "ideal" hyphen is a soft hyphen, or soft hyphen. Sometimes it is called shy hyphen. Although outwardly it does not differ from a hyphen, it is he who has the meaning of separating words at the end of a line. If you put hyphen, for example, in the word “book” (“book-ga”), then it turns out that we are talking about a compound word that consists of two parts: “book-” and “-ga”. But soft hyphen will show that this is one word, only separated by a hyphen.

How to insert symbols

We now know that in Russian, dashes and hyphens should not be confused, and in some cases special characters should be used, despite common practice. But the question arises: how to insert these characters into the text?

To do this, turn on Num Lock and enter certain combinations on the numeric keypad.

Please note that outwardly the signs may look almost the same. For this reason, users may mistakenly confuse them. However, they have quite different meaning, and each of them is designed for specific cases. You can not put a spelling mark instead of punctuation. It's also illogical to use a minus in phone numbers since we're not subtracting anything.

Use the non-breaking hyphen with care. On the one hand, a double surname broken into different lines looks ugly. Moreover, it is contrary to the rules of the Russian language. However, this character may not always be read correctly. mobile applications. In this case, the user will see an empty square in its place.

Symbol on the keyboard

But in practice, users most often use a symbol on the keyboard, rather than inserting the characters listed above. No wonder: it is much faster and easier than entering combinations, especially since they still need to be remembered. Usually such a character is called a hyphen.

But in fact, its name sounds like a "hyposominus". Outwardly, it does not differ from the usual hyphen, but in meaning it is not. The term itself suggests that this is an indefinite sign. It is used instead of all other dashes if it is impossible to put the correct character for technical reasons. But if you have the opportunity to insert the desired character, then it is better to do so. With the help of the hypsominus, we only show the reader that a certain dash should stand in this place. By itself, it means nothing.

Conclusion

We learned when dashes and hyphens are used and what is the difference between them. The rules require not to confuse characters and use them for their intended purpose. Even if the signs look similar on the outside, they still have different meanings. The hypsominus familiar to everyone should be used in extreme cases, because today most users have the opportunity to enter the desired combination.