Dashes for Drama

Choices. We have so many choices when punctuating sentences. It's easy to get confused when writing style varies so much: emails, texts, literary fiction, and newspapers all appear to have different rules. Most of us stick in a comma because it's safe, but we find ourselves dropping commas everywhere. Like every five words.

Check out what happens when we get adventurous and use a colon or even a dash- that most dramatic fellow.

Sydney refused to give up three vices. They were chocolate, wine, and mud-wrestling.

Sydney refused to give up her vices: chocolate, wine, and mud-wrestling.

Sydney refused to give up her vices- chocolate, wine, and mud-wrestling.

The three sentences have the same meaning, but the feel of them is different. The reader waits longer when the writer uses a dash. That creates suspense, and suspense makes reading more interesting.

According to The Lively Art of Writing, "Punctuation is not really a matter of style, it is a matter of necessity." (Go ahead and make fun of the name of the book. What the heck is lively about grammar and punctuation?)
The author doesn't offer much opinion on colons and dashes. She does suggest that any punctuation indicates a pause- the same pause you would use if you were speaking.

Strunk and White define the rules precisely in The Elements of Style:
"A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses." The author suggests using a dash when more common punctuation seems inadequate.

As side note, both of these books are worth a look and are inexpensive. The Elements of Style is an easier read and the authors are hilariously superior about all things grammatically incorrect.
 
                                            


So be bold and try the dash- another tool to liven up your writing.