Dash abuse

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

I just finished editing an 1,100-word article and removed no fewer than 12 M-dashes. Every last one of them was unnecessary and easily replaced with less trendy punctuation.

The more I edit other people's writing, the more I see dashes inserted willy-nilly in place of colons, semicolons, parenthesis, commas and even periods. I'm beginning to think some writers are using dashes as a cover for not knowing which punctuation is appropriate, the same way people throw in the word "myself" when they're unsure if they should use "me" or "I."

Dashes are fast becoming the one-size-fits-all hipster flip-flop of punctuation: ugly, predictable and inappropriate for most occasions.

Where do you stand on dashes? I haven't been against them up until now, but having edited 11 articles over the past three days and culled a haystack of unnecessary dashes, I think I'm developing an allergy.

Ken · Dec 22, 2009

... my own reason for using them stems from when I found out that using exclamation marks was bad when done too often. So I use M-dashes for emphasis, now, which is probably worse, lol. I use them for this sort of thing: "I could be wrong -- or right." (The 'or right' an epiphany of sorts or interuption in the usual flow of thoughts in the form of a mental leap or unanticipated deduction.)

JoNightshade · Dec 22, 2009

I love dashes. I use them correctly, though. But probably a little too often.

Chase · Dec 22, 2009

Devil Ledbetter said:
I just finished editing an 1,100-word article and removed no fewer than 12 M-dashes. Every last one of them was unnecessary and easily replaced with less trendy punctuation.

The more I edit other people's writing, the more I see dashes inserted willy-nilly in place of colons, semicolons, parenthesis, commas and even periods. I'm beginning to think some writers are using dashes as a cover for not knowing which punctuation is appropriate, the same way people throw in the word "myself" when they're unsure if they should use "me" or "I."

Dashes are fast becoming the one-size-fits-all hipster flip-flop of punctuation: ugly, predictable and inappropriate for most occasions.

Where do you stand on dashes? I haven't been against them up until now, but having edited 11 articles over the past three days and culled a haystack of unnecessary dashes, I think I'm developing an allergy.

Yeah, lots of dashes are as out of place as penguins at the North Pole--worse, penguins frolicking with polar bears.

Dash it all, the abuse--due mostly to the clueless factor you mentioned--isn't only recent. The catchall fad was in full swing in the middle of the last century and has only ebbed and flowed.

Agreed that the inapprpropriate needs culled. Ugly? Yep, you've got symptoms of allergic overreaction. Sure the two paragrahs above could be rewritten dash-free, and two in a row are a bit too much, but to completely wipe out a punctuation tool is often as abusive.

You have an excellent point, but my stand is moderation in all things.

Kathleen42 · Dec 22, 2009

JoNightshade said:
I love dashes. I use them correctly, though. But probably a little too often.

Same. I just really like them.

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

Ken said:
... my own reason for using them stems from when I found out that using exclamation marks was bad when done too often. So I use M-dashes for emphasis, now, which is probably worse, lol. I use them for this sort of thing: "I could be wrong -- or right." (The 'or right' an epiphany of sorts or interuption in the usual flow of thoughts in the form of a mental leap or unanticipated deduction.)

I think your usage here is appropriate. It provides an abrupt pause that fits your intent better than a comma.

I'm not advocating wiping them out entirely, but I'll be cutting back on them in my own writing and replacing them without remorse in the stuff I'm editing. There may be a rogue dash contagion working its way through the folks in the department producing the articles I have to edit.

charlotte49ers · Dec 22, 2009

I love me some dashes, but I don't think I overuse them. I hope not, anyway!

Jamesaritchie · Dec 22, 2009

I hate them.

Ken · Dec 22, 2009

... do try to use them sparingly. Will do so even more now that I know the reaction from the other side of the desk. In general, I guess it's best to be a bit conservative with punctuation marks of the sort. And if nothing else but M-dashes will do there's always the option of rewriting sentences so they're not needed.

stormie · Dec 22, 2009

I like em dashes but try to use them sparingly.

Devil, I'll bet the person whose work you edited referred to this book and this page: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp

Read some of those examples that she says it's okay to use em dashes in place of semi-colons, etc. in informal writing.
Ugh.

ETA: In looking at that book further, it seems her husband or brother owns the company that published it. Amazon has her as the author/publisher. Misinformation like that is horrible.

.

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

stormie said:
I like em dashes but try to use them sparingly.
Devil, I'll be the person whose work you edited referred to this book and this page: http://www.grammarbook.com/punctuation/dashes.asp

Read some of those examples that she says it's okay to use em dashes in place of semi-colons, etc. in informal writing.
Ugh.

Why oh why does this Jane Straus relegate colons and semicolons to "formal writing." Why not just claim capitalization is only for formal writing while she's at it?

And it's almost hilarious that after giving the greenlight to using M dashes in so many unnecessary places, she goes on to say I am hoping to curb your temptation to employ this convenient but overused punctuation mark.

ETA I do agree with her assessment that M dashes are good when there is "an abrupt change in thought." But what's good about them is precisely what's problematic in their overuse. Writing that is rife with abrupt changes in thought is really just ill-considered and sloppy. Instead of jumping from thing to thing with the help of dashes, organize those thoughts into readable prose.

stormie · Dec 22, 2009

And the sad part is that when I typed in "em dashes" into the search engine Bing, her book and that particular page came up first.

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

stormie said:
And the sad part is that when I typed in "em dashes" into the search engine Bing, her book and that particular page came up first.

We'll just have to keep this thread going until we outrank her on Bing.

Judg · Dec 22, 2009

I only use an em-dash if I can't find something more appropriate. No allergy here, but it was perhaps the last punctuation mark I understood, so it has to wait in line. I do get to it sometimes.

On the other hand, I will defend my right to use semicolons to the death. Two sentences separated by a semicolon are different than two sentences separated by a period. If I plotted them on a musical staff, they would have different melodies.

CaroGirl · Dec 22, 2009

The em dash in fiction has a couple of important uses. The first is to indicate dialogue interruption. No other punctuation mark does what the em dash does in dialogue. The second is to set off parenthetical commentary. Personally, I like the clean look of em dashes over parentheses.

In other types of writing, like technical writing, the em dash is essential. It's used mainly for a bulleted list of terms, each of which requires a definition.

Judg said:
On the other hand, I will defend my right to use semicolons to the death. Two sentences separated by a semicolon are different than two sentences separated by a period. If I plotted them on a musical staff, they would have different melodies.

Nicely said and I agree completely!!

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

Judg said:
I only use an em-dash if I can't find something more appropriate. No allergy here, but it was perhaps the last punctuation mark I understood, so it has to wait in line. I do get to it sometimes.

On the other hand, I will defend my right to use semicolons to the death. Two sentences separated by a semicolon are different than two sentences separated by a period. If I plotted them on a musical staff, they would have different melodies.

I adore semicolons but have indulged in far too many semicolon debates here at AW. I always say that semicolons are best used to make two sentences hold hands.

Caro, I agree about the dash in dialog. I also agree that it's sometimes fresher than parenthesis, which can also be overdone. All of the writing I've been editing this week has been expository, though, and the mad rash of dashes are all coming from the same department.

I get crazy like this when I have a pile of editing. I'm glad there is a safe place to vent my hypercritical frustrations.

Judg · Dec 22, 2009

Devil Ledbetter said:
I adore semicolons but have indulged in far too many semicolon debates here at AW. I always say that semicolons are best used to make two sentences hold hands.

So my attempt at button-pushing isn't working, eh?

Sentences holding hands; that's cute.

Jamesaritchie · Dec 22, 2009

Devil Ledbetter said:
Why oh why does this Jane Straus relegate colons and semicolons to "formal writing." Why not just claim capitalization is only for formal writing while she's at it?

.

Because this way maybe fewer writers will use them. As much as I hate em dashes, I'd rather see a hundred dashes than one semicolon.

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

Jamesaritchie said:
Because this way maybe fewer writers will use them. As much as I hate em dashes, I'd rather see a hundred dashes than one semicolon.

Why? And has anyone kept a tally of how many innocent threads in this particular forum devolve into pointless semicolon bashing?

CaroGirl · Dec 22, 2009

Jamesaritchie said:
Because this way maybe fewer writers will use them. As much as I hate em dashes, I'd rather see a hundred dashes than one semicolon.

Were you bitten by a rabid semicolon when you were a baby, James?

Williebee · Dec 22, 2009

I'm a mad dasher, -- it's an illness.

Devil Ledbetter · Dec 22, 2009

The funny thing about the dash abuser who sent me over the edge today is he is otherwise one of the strongest writers on staff. The majority of the editing I did for him was on the dashes gone wild.

Chase · Dec 23, 2009

Devil Ledbetter said:
pointless semicolon

That's a good one; a pointless semicolon is a comma. Punctuation haters should be sentenced.

Kalyke · Dec 23, 2009

I've seen many M dashes used in place of quotation marks, mainly in literature. I personally am not offended by them, as I use many myself.

MattW · Dec 23, 2009

I'm an unashamed dashaholic - deal with it.

(it's the first thing I look at when revising)

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