Hyphens in English: A detailed explanation of how to use them.
In English, hyphens play an important role in indicating connections between words and helping readers understand sentence structure. This article will take a closer look at how to use hyphens in English, including their form, usage, and common mistakes.
1. The form of the hyphenic number.
Hyphens in English are mainly divided into the following forms:
1.Dash
Dashes are used to indicate an omission or additional explanation of the previous content, and are often used in informal texts. For example: I went to the store—bought a few things(I went to the store and bought something.) ）
2.colon
A colon is used to indicate enumeration, explanation, or illustration and is usually used in formal texts. For example: the following items are on the agenda for today's meeting: item 1, item 2, and item 3.(The agenda for today's meeting is as follows: Agenda 1, Agenda 2 and Agenda 3. ）
3.Conjunction
Conjunctions are used to denote connections between sentences, such as and, but, or, etc.
2. The usage of the hyphenic number.
The main uses of hyphens include the following:
1.Indicates an equivalence relationship.
A hyphen can indicate that two words or phrases are equivalent, for example: new york—the big apple(New York – Big Apple.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that "new york" and "the big apple" are equivalent concepts.
2.Indicates an example.
Hyphens can be used to enumerate a range of things, such as: the store carries a variety of items—books, cds, and clothing(The store has a wide variety of items – books, CDs, and clothing.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that "books", "cds", and "clothing" are the listed list of goods.
3.Indicates a supplementary note.
The hyphen can be used to supplement the previous content, e.g. I went to the store—and bought a few things(I went to the store and bought something.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that the following content is a complementary description of the previous content.
4.Represents a contrasting relationship.
A hyphen can be used to indicate a contrasting relationship between two sentences or phrases, e.g. she sings beautifully—he sings out of tune(She sings beautifully—but he sings out of tune.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that there is a contrast between the two sentences.
5.Indicates an explanatory note.
The hyphen can be used to explain the previous content, for example: she was late—because the bus was delayed(She was late – because the bus was delayed.) In this example, the sentence after the hyphen explains the reason for "she's late" in the preceding sentence.
6.Indicates a summary summary.
The hyphen can be used to summarize the previous content, for example: the team had a great season—winning the championship(The team had a stellar season – winning the championship.) In this example, the sentence after the hyphen summarizes what was in the previous sentence.
7.Indicates a transition relationship.
A hyphen can be used to indicate an inflection between two sentences, e.g. i would like to go out—but it's raining.(I wanted to go out - but it was raining.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that there is an inflection between the two sentences.
8.Indicates causality.
A hyphen can be used to indicate a causal relationship between two sentences, for example: she didn't finish her homework—so she couldn't go out.(She didn't finish her homework – so she couldn't go out.) In this example, the hyphen indicates that there is a causal relationship between the two sentences.