Linked Questions

0 votes
0 answers
22 views

Do I put any kind of dash here? [duplicate]

If I say "This removes block breaking particles." when talking about a very popular block game (the game causes particles to appear when you break blocks), do I use a dash between the two ...
english123124142's user avatar
104 votes
10 answers
139k views

Appropriate dash to use when attributing a quotation?

If I’m citing a poem or quotation, what kind of dash precedes the author’s name? For example: This Business of Printing; which I am heartily tired of, and repent I e’er attempted....  —John ...
GLM's user avatar
  • 1,041
30 votes
3 answers
5k views

Is it correct to hyphenate with compound premodifiers? If so, where is the hyphen placed?

For example, "file system" and "related". Is it "file system-related"? It will appear as if it is a compound of "file" and "system-related", won't it?
Louis Rhys's user avatar
  • 3,368
18 votes
3 answers
18k views

Using "non-" to prefix a two-word phrase

Does "non-" prefixed to a two word phrase permit another hyphen before the second word? If I want to refer to an entity which is defined as the negation of another entity by attaching "non-" it seems ...
WAF's user avatar
  • 2,581
5 votes
5 answers
4k views

Does "cost-benefit ratio" use a hyphen or an en-dash?

Should I write "cost-benefit" (hyphen) or "cost–benefit" (en dash), and why?
pilcrow's user avatar
  • 453
3 votes
4 answers
22k views

'2-3' or 'two to three' proper use

In the following sentence is the use of '2-3' appropriate for a PowerPoint presentation or should it be 'two to three'? Research shows that a deaf child tends to produce signs 2-3 months earlier ...
KPQ's user avatar
  • 31
4 votes
1 answer
13k views

what's the difference between a hyphen, a dash and a minus sign? [closed]

hyphen(-), dash(—), minus(-) What do I use when? and does it really matter? And what's their origin, why did people think they needed another very similar sign?
bubakazouba's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Does one use a hyphen in between 'other' and 'hand' when saying "on the other hand"?

When I was typing this sentence "And on the other hand, some user actions don't trigger the same response." my spell checker mentioned that I might put a hyphen between 'other' and 'hand' and use '...
Mark Rogers's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
1k views

Is there a word that describes a loud exhale from the mouth to indicate tiredness? [closed]

I'm not sure if it's correct to call it puff/puffing. The definition is not close to what I'm looking for. It's when you inhale deeply and release the air loudly. The top result I found online is '...
Maia's user avatar
  • 37
2 votes
1 answer
5k views

More dastardly dashes: what are the 'horizontal bar' and 'figure dash' characters for? [closed]

Having read another excellent answer regarding the use of horizontal line-like characters, I'm interested to know the meanings of the horizontal bar and figure dash. In the other answer linked above, ...
Ryan Jendoubi's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
1k views

Is it acceptable to use a single hyphen as a dash (as the BBC does)?

Is it acceptable to use a single hyphen as a dash (as the BBC does)? Example from BBC News: Venezuela - a major oil producer - has been heavily affected by the fall in oil prices on ...
whippoorwill's user avatar
  • 2,363
2 votes
2 answers
4k views

Expressing sudden interruption in written, narrative speech

Question: What is the lexical technique for expressing sudden interruptions in written, narrative speech? For example: I was walking down the street when— wait! Look at that! In the example above,...
Vatsal Manot's user avatar
12 votes
3 answers
330 views

Is the SE "new privilege" notification message a sentence?

When a Stack Exchange user gets a new privilege, it's accompanied by the following notification: Congrats, you've gained the privilege – talk in chat learn more That phrase "may be oddly worded, ...
Pops's user avatar
  • 5,947
5 votes
2 answers
465 views

Why are there multiple kinds of dashes in the English language?

At our writing disposal are a preponderance of short straight lines: Hyphen - En dash – Em dash — minus sign − Horizontal bar ― Figure dash ‒ ...
Minnow's user avatar
  • 2,662
3 votes
1 answer
3k views

How is the spelling of a hyphenated word read?

How is the spelling of a hyphenated word usually read out loud? For example, with "Anglo-Saxon", do we say: "It is spelt as A—N—G—L—O—dash—S—A—X&...
Pacerier's user avatar
  • 6,941

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