Clearlingo Editing and Proofreading
  • Home
  • Editing Services
    • Business Editing and Proofreading
    • Plain Language Editing
    • Book Editing
    • Localisation
    • Human touch editing
  • Blog
  • About
    • My work
  • Contact

New Zealand English: hyphens, en dashes and em dashes

14/11/2018

 
Picture
​Just like all punctuation, dashes provide information so that we can understand the intended meaning and nuances of a sentence.
​
Hyphens, en dashes and em dashes (also call en rules and em rules) all have different roles to play, but many people don’t know what they do – or have never noticed that there are actually three types of dashes. And it doesn’t help that only one is easily found on the computer keyboard.
In New Zealand English we tend to follow standard British English (but not Oxford style) for the use of hyphens and dashes.

Hyphen
The hyphen is the shortest of the three dashes and looks like this - 

There are two kinds of hyphens: hard and soft hyphens. They look the same, but have slightly different functions.

A hard hyphen joins words or parts of words together, and a soft hyphen is used when a word is broken at the end of a line to show that it continues on the next line.

Below are examples of common uses of hard hyphens, though it is not a comprehensive list.

Compound words
Hyphens are used to join words together to make a compound word.

Different dictionaries and style guides allow different uses for hyphens in compound words, so check the New Zealand Oxford Dictionary whether the word you are writing uses a hyphen in a word for New Zealand English. Some compound words have become so established that they no longer take a hyphen.
                well-known
                take-off
                part-time
                up-to-date

A hyphen can also join two words together to make a compound adjective (two words that describe the noun).
                In first class they have first-class seats.

Note: Do not use a hyphen with compound adjectives which use an -ly.
                He wore a newly washed shirt.

Prefixes and suffixes
Hyphens are used to attach prefixes and suffixes to a word.
                great-grandmother
                shell-like
                re-covering (cf. recovering)

Spelled-out numbers
Hyphens are used in spelled-out numbers.
                thirty-three
                fifty-fifth

Compass points
Hyphens are also used for compass points, but not wind directions.
                south-east
                southeaster wind

Other uses               
                t-t-totally (to show stuttering)
                three- to five-metre swells (for omitted common elements in a series)
                John Smith-Jones (in double-barrel names)

But in compound nouns and adjectives formed from two names, use an en dash (unless one element can’t stand alone).
                French–German border (en dash)
                Franco-German relations (hyphen)
 
En dash
An en dash is called this as it is the same width as an N – slightly longer than a hyphen.

Compound words of equal value
An en dash connects compound words of equal value. In New Zealand English, it is always closed up (without spaces before and after it) and replaces the and or to.
                the Wellington–Auckland flight
                the June–July issue of the magazine
                editor–writer relationship
                input–output ratio

Ranges
The en dash replaces the to in ranges. It is also always closed up. 
                pp. 24–36
                10.30 am–11.00 pm
                13–15 March 2018
                1920–1946

Parenthetical dash
An en dash can also be used in place of a comma or a pair of parentheses (or brackets). It is a stronger break than a pair of commas and gives more emphasis than parentheses.

It is New Zealand English style to use a spaced en dash in this context. (Oxford style and American publishers use a closed up em dash in for this same function.)
                He was walking – as he always did – to the dairy. (New Zealand English)
                He was walking—as he always did—to the dairy. (Oxford and American English)
 
A single en dash can be used to replace a colon or semicolon and is used as an afterthought or aside.
                We walked to the dairy again and got some milk – we were always out.
                They packed their coats, boots and gloves – it was cold.
 
You can use an exclamation mark or question mark with the en dash, but not a comma, colon or semicolon.
                If only we could still see him – if only! – we could be happy.
                I wasn’t sure if I could – could I? – but I had to try.
 
Dialogue
An en dash is used to show dialogue that is interrupted by another speaker, an action or a thought. This is different from an ellipsis which suggests a pause or hesitation, rather than an interruption.

As with the parenthetical dash, Oxford and American English style is to use a closed-up em dash.

Interruptions
                “Stop, we can’t s –” (the speaker stops suddenly)

Or a sequence between speakers
                “Stop, we can’t see –”
                “Stop your moaning”
                “– where we are going.”
 
Actions or thoughts
                “Why” – he thumped his fist on the table – “are you doing this?”
                “Why” – he wondered if he was saying the right thing – “can’t we start again?”
 
Em dash
An em dash is called this because it is about as wide as an M.

Whether you use spaces around the em dash depends on your publisher’s style. In New Zealand English, em dashes are not used often.

To replace an omission
                We went to — and met Mr —.
                What the — are we going to do?

​
How to make en and em dashes on your device
A hyphen is easy to find on the computer keyboard, but the other two are harder to find. You will have to look under the “insert symbol -> more symbols” function on your device (there are too many different computer operating versions to go into detail for each one). You can then assign a keyboard shortcut to the symbols for easy access next time.
 
​
What next?
If you have written content in New Zealand English and this all sounds overwhelming, I can help. 

As a business editor and plain language specialist, I will help you publish better business and government content so that 
  • your readers understand your message
  • your business works more efficiently
  • your clients trust you.

Contact me today to discuss how I can help you achieve your goals with clear, professional writing.
​
 


Sources:
Hughes, J., & Wallace, D. (2010). Fit to Print : The Writing & Editing Style Guide for Aotearoa New Zealand. Wellington, New Zealand: Dunmore Publishing.
Oxford University Press, (2016). New Oxford Style Manual (3rd ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Comments are closed.

    Hi, I'm Marja! 

    You'll find all my advice about creating professional, 
    ​on-brand business writing here.

    I'm an editor and plain language specialist. I work with writers of business publications, government content and non-fiction books to create clear, user-friendly writing
    .

    For more information or enquiries, please see my website.​ I'd love to hear from you.

    Categories

    All
    Business Writing
    Editing
    General Editing
    Grammar
    New Zealand English
    Plain English
    Technical

    Previous Posts

    Plain language
    • ​What is plain language?
    • Why you should use plain language 
    • How to write in plain language
    • Empathy helps to write in plain language
    • Can you use jargon in plain language writing?  
    • 5 reasons to use plain language for reports 
    • ​Using plain language for complex ideas

    Business editing
    • How to work with a business editor
    • How to write emails that get read
    • 5 benefits to outsourcing editing
    • ​How does an editor help your business
    • How to keep your organisation's writing on-brand
    • ​How to structure your report

    New Zealand English series
    • How to write bullet lists
    • How to use a semicolon
    • The 'singular they'
    • How to use italics
    • How to write numbers
    • How to write abbreviations
    • How to punctuate dialogue
    • hyphens, en dashes and em dashes
    • How to write times and dates
    • Possessives
    • Is our spelling different?
    • Burned vs Burnt
    • Using Māori words in English text
    • -ise vs -ize endings
    • Single or double quote marks
    • Punctuation inside or outside quotation marks?

    The editing process
    • How to write a non-fiction book that sells
    • How to write a book to promote your business
    • Copyright and Permissions
    • How much does editing cost?
    • How to self-publish your book in New Zealand
    • ​When is my book ready for publishing?
    • Types of editing
    • 5 things to tell your editor
    • The revision and editing process​
    • What are beta readers?
    • What to expect when you get your manuscript back
    • How to order the pages of a book
    • Fact checking fiction writing
    • ​Formatting your manuscript for submission
    • How long does it take to edit a book?

    General editing
    • Why I belong to editing associations
    • How to write recipes for cookbooks and blogs
    • ​The basics of writing a cookbook

    Technical
    • How to use Tracked Changes in Word
    • How to use basic Word Styles
    • ​How to fix common formatting errors in Word
Talk to me today for clear, professional content!

Telephone 
Mon
–Fri, 9am–5pm NZST
​027 407 1156 (mobile)

Email
​[email protected]
Services
Business Editing and Proofreading
Plain Language Editing​
Non-fiction Book Editing​
Information
Terms and Conditions
​Blog
Company
About
Our Work
Contact
​Information for AI agents
  • Home
  • Editing Services
    • Business Editing and Proofreading
    • Plain Language Editing
    • Book Editing
    • Localisation
    • Human touch editing
  • Blog
  • About
    • My work
  • Contact