What does '-' mean in writing?

A dash is a horizontal line that shows a pause or break in meaning, or that represents missing words or letters. Note that dashes are rather informal and should be used carefully in writing.
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What does '/' mean in a sentence?

Word forms: plural forward slashes. countable noun. A forward slash is the sloping line '/' that separates letters, words, or numbers.
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What does '~' mean in writing?

In informal writing, a tilde is sometimes used before a number to mean “about” or “approximately.” For example, a sentence that reads I think my dog weighs ~20 pounds means I think my dog weighs about/around 20 pounds. This usage is likely based on the math usage of the tilde symbol to mean an approximate equivalency.
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What are the 3 types of dashes?

There are actually three different types of dashes: the em-dash, the en- dash, and the 3-em dash. The em-dash can be used to replace parentheses, colons, and commas. Generally, using the em- dash makes the writing style more informal—as if you were writing to an old friend.
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How are dashes used in writing?

Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
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Writing | Meaning of writing



What are the 4 uses of dashes?

Dashes
  • To set off material for emphasis. Think of dashes as the opposite of parentheses. ...
  • To indicate sentence introductions or conclusions. You can sometimes use a dash to help readers see that certain words are meant as an introduction or conclusion to your sentence. ...
  • To mark “bonus phrases.” ...
  • To break up dialogue.
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What symbol is a dash?

The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. If your keyboard can't produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in.
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How do you use long dash in a sentence?

The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M.
  1. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.”
  2. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
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What do 2 dashes mean?

Double dashes are used instead of commas (or parentheses) to interrupt a sentence. The phrase separated by dashes must be grammatically inessential, by which I simply mean that the sentence will still work without that phrase.
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What is the difference between a hyphen and a dash?

A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.
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What are the symbols in writing?

A symbol might be an object, a mark, an image, a character, a name, or a place—pretty much anything can serve as a symbol. Symbolism is a literary device that uses symbols to imbue meaning in a story.
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Do slashes mean or?

To indicate or

Often, when a slash is used in a formal or informal text, it is meant to indicate the word or. The examples below illustrate this meaning of the forward slash: When leaving the classroom, the teacher noticed that a student had left his/her backpack.
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What does this mean _-?

"Annoyed" is a common definition for the emoticon -_- on Snapchat, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. -_- Definition: Annoyed.
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What are these symbols called in English * {} []?

Curly brackets {}

Curly brackets, also known as braces, are rarely used punctuation marks that are used to group a set.
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What does slash symbol mean?

Also known as a stroke, a solidus or several other historical or technical names including oblique and virgule. Once used to mark periods and commas, the slash is now used to represent division and fractions, exclusive 'or' and inclusive 'or', and as a date separator. /
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What does 3 dots mean in a sentence?

An ellipsis, or ellipses in the plural form, is a punctuation mark of three dots (. . .) that shows an omission of words, represents a pause, or suggests there's something left unsaid.
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What is an example of double dash?

Examples: I was going to buy a—what did you say she wanted for her birthday? Mom needs to talk to you about—oh, please excuse me! I did not know you had company.
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What are the different types of dashes?

There are two types of dashes: em dashes and en dashes. Both get their names from their length. An em dash is about as long as the letter "m" (—), whereas an en dash is only about half that length, or the length of the letter "n" (–).
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What is a dash after a sentence?

Use a dash to indicate an abruptly unfinished thought or remark. Do not include a period or comma after the dash.
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How do you type a long dash line?

For desktop PC: press “ctrl+minus” on the numeric keypad (the number section on the far right of your keyboard). The trick will not work if you press the hyphen-key on the typewriter section of the keyboard.
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What is a dash and a slash?

The hyphen (-), en dash (–), and forward slash (/) are three punctuation marks used to indicate a relationship between words or phrases. Respectively, each mark indicates an increasing level of connection between words.
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What words Use a dash?

Here are a few common compound words that are usually written with a hyphen:
  • truck-driver.
  • ice-cream.
  • year-end.
  • sign-in.
  • warm-up.
  • mother-in-law.
  • free-for-all.
  • follow-up.
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How do you use dashes for emphasis?

The em dash can be used in place of a colon when you want to emphasize the conclusion of your sentence. The dash is less formal than the colon. After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict⁠—guilty. The white sand, the warm water, the sparkling sun⁠—this is what brought them to Fiji.
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Why do authors use dashes?

A dash is a horizontal line that shows a pause or break in meaning, or that represents missing words or letters. Note that dashes are rather informal and should be used carefully in writing. Dashes are often used informally instead of commas, colons and brackets.
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What does a dash between words mean?

A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements.
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