College Composition / Unit 8 CMP 0188 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Dashes
Captions available
The idea
A dash sets off nonessential information with emphasis, or marks a contrast, a pause or a change of direction.
In practice
"We did not notice the rain at first, it began so softly, but soon we were soaked" works better with dashes in place of the inner commas.
Where people slip
Used too often, dashes make prose feel breathless; save them for real interruptions.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
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