O dash is a punctuation mark represented by a dash horizontally and is intended to mark the direct speech, that is, the speech of characters, or highlight excerpts of texts.
Read too: Punctuation
When to place the dash?
Direct speech
The dash, like the quotation marks, is used to mark the speech of characters in narrative texts.
See the example below:
Pedro arrived at work and asked his colleague:
- John, did you do the quarterly report?
Note that the passage interspersed by the dashes "John, did you do the quarterly report?” is in direct speech and, therefore, introduced by dashes. The same passage could be in quotes.
although both punctuation marks (em dash and quotation marks) have the same purpose, it is more common for the dash to be used in dialogs, as it makes the text more fluid.
See the use of the dash in a chronicle by Luis Fernando Verissimo:
sex
- Father…
- Hmmm?
- How is the female sex?
- What?
- The female of sex.
- It does not have.
- Isn't there a female sex?
- No.
- Are you only male?
- É. I mean, no. There are two sexes. Male and female.
- And how is the female sex?
- There is no female. Sex is always male.
- But you yourself said it's male and female.
- Sex can be male or female. The word "sex" is masculine. The male, the female.
- Shouldn't it be "the sex"?
- No.
- Why not?
- Why not! Sorry. Why not. "Sex" is always male.
- Is the woman's gender male?
- É. No! A woman's sex is female.
- And how is the female?
- Real sex. Just like the man.
- Is a woman's sex the same as a man's?
- É. I mean… Look here. It's male and female, right?
- Right.
- It's two different things.
- So how is the female sex?
- It's just like the male.
- But aren't they different?
- No. Or, they are! But the word is the same. It changes the sex, but it doesn't change the word.
- But then it doesn't change the sex. It's always male.
- The word is masculine.
- No. "The word" is feminine. If it were male it would be "The pal…"
- He arrives! Go play, go.
The boy leaves and the mother enters. The father comments:
- We have to keep an eye on this guy...
- Because?
- He only thinks about grammar.
Source: VERISSIMO, Luis Fernando.
"Comedies to Read at School", Dom Quixote Publications, 2002, Lisbon.
Emphasize text excerpts
Dashes are also used in some texts, replacing commas to intersperse passages where you intend give emphasis.
Look:
Brazil – the largest country in South America – it doesn't protect its borders as it should. There are very few federal police officers for regions with a large flow of drugs and weapons, such as the borders with Bolivia, Paraguay and Venezuela. Therefore, more effective is needed.
Note that, in the paragraph above, the dashes replaced the commas that isolated the explanatory affix in order to highlight the passage, that is, to emphasize it.
Read too: Opinion article.
What is the double indent?
The double indent occurs in two situations:
When there is talk of the character and the narrator in the same sentence: In this case, a dash is used to start the character's speech and another to indicate that the speech has ended and that the narrator will begin to manifest himself.
Look:
Peter said:
- I do not want to talk to you anymore! - Sadly, he hung up the phone.
Emphasize elements in the middle of the sentence:
Look:
Brazil – one of the largest economies in the world – unfortunately faces serious social problems.
When do you use parentheses and dash?
They have distinct functions. While the dash highlights or emphasizes the information, the parenthesis indicates that it is an accessory, superfluous information, a kind of curiosity or plus that is not fundamental to the text.
This occurs, for example, to indicate acronyms:
The United Nations (UN) approved Brazil's attitude.
Or to bring a curiosity:
the deputy adverbial (or adverbial complement) assigns various circumstances to the verb (such as time, place, mood and intensity).
Summary
indent |
Use: |
Example: |
Indicate direct speech. |
Peter said: - I am tired! |
|
Emphasize text passages. |
China – one of the countries that most pollute the environment – does not participate in international conservation treaties. |
