Using en dashes - between words

[Dearelliot]

I'd rather not use en dashes between adjectives as often as Grammarly does, and I'm not sure if it is generally acceptable not to.
Well-worn, high-heels, gray-haired, etc.

 

[TheLobster]

My understanding is that you use a hyphen (not the en dash, that's a different character) when your compound is should be treated grammatically as a single word.

"His shoes were well worn." -- no hyphenation, because "worn" is the adjective and "well" is merely a modifier to it.
"He left his well-worn shoes at the door." -- hyphenated, because the entirety of "well-worn" is the adjective

Omitting the hyphen makes it more confusing since the reader has to essentially recover it from context.

 

[ShelbyDawn57]

My understanding is that you use a hyphen (not the en dash, that's a different character) when your compound is should be treated grammatically as a single word.

My understanding as well. An en dash is more like a comma on steroids - when you want a pause, but a comma doesn't quite do it and a semicolon isn't warranted... (of course, there's the ellipse, too)


EDIT: Oops, that would be an em dash, not an en dash...(My example not Lobster's)

 

[Dearelliot]

Yes, thank you. I think of it as in the case of Grammarly, often not necessary, as in high heels, twenty six, I can't imagine many people are confused by that.
I prefer the ellipse.

 

[Dearelliot]

Sorry for my confusion I called the dash an en dash... I meant the dash between say, high-heels

 

[GrantBricksly]

An en dash (–) is a punctuation mark slightly longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash, used to indicate ranges, relationships, or spans. It's often used to connect numbers in a range, dates, or time periods.

Here's a more detailed breakdown:
Uses of the En Dash:

• Indicating Ranges:
  En dashes are commonly used to represent ranges of numbers, dates, or pages.
  • Example: "The book covers pages 15–25".
• Connecting Places or Locations:
  They can connect locations, particularly in travel or transportation contexts.
  • Example: "An SFO–LAX flight".
• • Expressing "To" or "And":
    In some cases, en dashes can be used to express the word "to" or "and", particularly when a range is not explicitly stated.
    • • Example: "The team played 8–3".
  • Indicating a Relationship or Connection:
    En dashes can demonstrate a relationship or connection between two words, especially when they represent opposing concepts.
    • • Example: "The teacher–student relationship".
  • Joining Open Compounds:
    En dashes can be used when a two-word compound (often a proper noun) is used as part of a compound adjective.
    • • Example: "The New York–based company".

 

[TheLobster]

Yes, thank you. I think of it as in the case of Grammarly, often not necessary, as in high heels, twenty six, I can't imagine many people are confused by that.
I prefer the ellipse.

I think this is still just the question of how the expression is used.

"She was wearing high heels." vs. "She wore high-heels shoes."
"He was twenty six years old." vs. "He was a twenty-six-year-old male."

 

[ElectricBlue]

I think this is still just the question of how the expression is used.

"She was wearing high heels." vs. "She wore high-heels shoes."
"He was twenty six years old." vs. "He was a twenty-six-year-old male."

It's one of those things that comes down to individual style, I think, with an eye to possible ambiguity,

With these examples, I'd write high heeled shoes and twenty-six, but never in a world of Sundays would I write twenty-six-year-old male. Never seen that usage before!

 

[TheLobster]

With these examples, I'd write high heeled shoes and twenty-six, but never in a world of Sundays would I write twenty-six-year-old male. Never seen that usage before!

The almighty Google serves this as the very first result when asked:

https://www.scribbr.com/frequently-asked-questions/hyphen-year-old/

 

[ElectricBlue]

The almighty Google serves this as the very first result when asked:

https://www.scribbr.com/frequently-asked-questions/hyphen-year-old/

Well there you go. I'd still never think of writing that phrase, no matter how correct it might be. It just looks... wrong !

 

[TheLobster]

It just looks... wrong !

Same as fucking your mom, and yet that's what we have to write.

 

[stickygirl]

Lit does odd things with dashes. I always cut n paste a story into the submission panel and I now go through to correct its interfering. One story I forgot to check has these double flying bullets throughout.
'Hi Mum, it's me -- your daughter.'
Very irritating! It should of course be
'Hi Mum, it's me - your daughter.'
No doubt this punctuation is incorrect and should read
Hi Mum, it's me. Your daughter. OR
Hi Mum, it's me, your daughter.
I used to collect lots of red ink from teachers.

 

[TheLobster]

Very irritating! It should of course be
'Hi Mum, it's me - your daughter.'

I don't know if the Fish'n'Chips Dialect differs from the Hamburger one in this regard, but at least in the latter you'd use an em-dash there, not a hyphen.

That is, of course, if you wanted some more visual separation between both parts of the sentence. A comma would be perfectly fine instead; splitting it into two sentences is a bit weird, since the second part isn't even a sentence.

I did notice that Lit often replaces em-dashes with double hyphens, though, so maybe this is what you're seeing in your submissions.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Same as fucking your mom, and yet that's what we have to write.

You might. My mum made me cheese and Vegemite sandwiches when I was a kid in primary school, and looked after me when I was sick. The idea of fucking my mum is ridiculous, not at all erotic for me. She held my hand when I crossed the road, for god's sake, not my cock.

 

[TheLobster]

You might. My mum made me cheese and Vegemite sandwiches when I was a kid in primary school, and looked after me when I was sick. The idea of fucking my mum is ridiculous, not at all erotic for me. She held my hand when I crossed the road, for god's sake, not my cock.

Oof, that joke didn't hit I suppose. Sorry. Still, this is AH -- everything eventually reaches a point that all that's left to talk about is moms and backseats.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Lit does odd things with dashes. I always cut n paste a story into the submission panel and I now go through to correct its interfering. One story I forgot to check has these double flying bullets throughout.
'Hi Mum, it's me -- your daughter.'
Very irritating! It should of course be
'Hi Mum, it's me - your daughter.'
No doubt this punctuation is incorrect and should read
Hi Mum, it's me. Your daughter. OR
Hi Mum, it's me, your daughter.
I used to collect lots of red ink from teachers.

I'm with you, Sticky. The em dash -- is an American fetish. Here in Australia we get by with a plain old hyphen - just as you use it up above.

 

[stickygirl]

I'm with you, Sticky. The em dash -- is an American fetish. Here in Australia we get by with a plain old hyphen - just as you use it up above.

You mean the double hyphen is a thing in the Americans? They call it an 'em-dash'? There's no key on my keyboard for that so it doesn't exist. Almost as bad as aerosol cheese and powdered tea

I was forgetting my US manners. I should have said Mom, whether fucked or otherwise

 

[iwatchus]

I'm with you, Sticky. The em dash -- is an American fetish. Here in Australia we get by with a plain old hyphen - just as you use it up above.

My (US) grad school trained em-dashes into me big time. I would have had my knuckles rapped so hard if I used a hyphen where an em-dash "belonged".

Of course, my first draft of a chapter of my dissertation can back with so many comments on it, my officemate said it was bleeding.

Getting your writing shredded by her was good preparation for LW, I guess.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

My understanding is that you use a hyphen (not the en dash, that's a different character) when your compound is should be treated grammatically as a single word.

"His shoes were well worn." -- no hyphenation, because "worn" is the adjective and "well" is merely a modifier to it.
"He left his well-worn shoes at the door." -- hyphenated, because the entirety of "well-worn" is the adjective

I never knew that. For some reason, learning this feels very good. Thanks.