dash

 Dashes should be used in pairs to enclose parenthetical matter or singly to indicate a sharp break in a sentence ("I can’t see a damn thing in here - ouch!") or to place emphasis on a point ("There are only two things we can count on - death and taxes"). Dashes are most effective when used sparingly, and there should never be more than one pair in a single sentence.

 There are two common errors with dashes:

 1. Failing to mark the end of a parenthetical comment with a second dash: "The group - it is the largest in its sector, with subsidiaries or associates in eleven countries, says trading has improved in the current year" (Times). Make it "countries - says."

 2. Allowing a word or phrase from the main part of the sentence to become locked within the parenthetical area, as here: "There is another institution which appears to have an even more - shall we say, relaxed - attitude to security" (Times). Removing the words between the dashes would give us an institution with "an even more attitude." Relaxed belongs to the sentence proper and needs to be put outside the dashes: "There is another institution which appears to have an even more - shall we say? - relaxed attitude to security." See also parentheses.