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There is a place where the rule for the colon and the rule for the dash overlap, in other words, a place where each one is correct. ...There are several things to consider: money outlay, time spen...

There is a little-known dash rule that is called the "summary dash." It is used when a sentence has concluded and a clause refers back to the subject of that sentence. The clause is really an appos...

When an indefinite pronoun renames one noun, use a comma. ...He saw several books, none of which interested him. ...We looked at three models, each of which had some interesting features. ...I tal...

If a question is dropped inside a statement or question, put a pair of dashes around it and a question mark after it. ...He was standing near -- were you aware of him at the time? -- the desk of t...

We see this same pattern often: We have finished a sentence; then we throw in something that renames the subject of that sentence. ...We decided to spend the weekend away -- my husband and I....Th...

...The key that was hidden on the premises -- is it the one you used to get in that night? "The key that was hidden on the premises" is the start of a sentence that never gets finished. Then the ...

Do not cap a word after a dash unless it always has to be capped. ...He was on his way to -- to visit her in the hospital. ...She helped him to -- helped her to the couch after she fell. When the...

When elements that have commas around them also have commas within them, the commas around them change to dashes. ...If it has misspellings -- whether they be medications, medical terms, or names ...

Rather than thinking of the dash as being used for an "interruption," it will serve you better to frame that rule as "A dash is used for a sentence that got started and did not get finished -- brok...