9/8/2023 0 Comments M dash![]() ![]() The em dash can be used in place of commas, colons, semicolons, and parentheses to increase sentence variety and readability. Examples of Using an Em Dash in a Sentence.Personally, I would probably go with an em dash, especially if you want to use the exact words that you gave in your example. Or you could use a colon also to make the speaker sound determined: "I want a big house: I want a house that's big enough to fit my family.".I want a house that's big enough to fit my family." Or you could use two sentences if you want the person to sound determined: "I want a big house.Or you could use a dash if you want even more emphasis: "I want a big house - one that's big enough to fit my family".Or you could use a comma if you want a just a bit more emphasis: "I want a big house, one that's big enough to fit my family".You just do nothing: "I want a house big enough to fit my family.".Using a colon and using a period would work well if you wanted the person saying this to sound determined to get a bigger house. While this is also redundant, it still does work because the second clause gives more details about the first clause. I want a big house: I want a house that is big enough to fit my family. fit my family") isn't a dependent clause, using a colon does not work. Since the second part of the sentence ("A house that. Like the semicolon, colons are supposed to separate two dependent clauses. I want a big house: a house that is big enough to fit my family. Semicolons should not be used to do that. For another thing, colons should be used to separate two clauses where the second clause explains the first clause more (see example of colon). It is grammatically correct, but it is a bad way to write that sentence. I want a big house I want a house that is big enough to fit my family. Since the second part of this sentence doesn't have a verb and thus isn't a dependent clause, you cannot use a semicolon. Semicolons separate two dependent clauses (clauses that could stand alone as a full sentence). I want a big house a house that is big enough to fit my family. Still, this is redundant as it repeats "I want" and isn't the best way to say it. I want a house that is big enough to fit my family. In order to make the period work, you would have to fix the fragment: Works Therefore, using a period to separate the two doesn't work. If I lost you in there, just know that "A house that is big enough to fit my family" is a fragment. It's part of the adjective clause "that is big enough to fit my family" which modifies "house." The subject is "house," but there is no verb that the house does. This doesn't work because "A house that is big enough to fit my family" doesn't have a main verb. A house that is big enough to fit my family. Conclusionįor this particular case, I would go with em/en dashes or with commas making the changes I suggested in the "Comma" section. You can also do this, but I don't think that's what you want. Using parentheses sets the phrase apart from the main sentence the most and emphasizes it the least. I want a big house (a house that is big enough to fit my family.) It's up to your own personal preference whether you use em dashes or en dashes - just be consistent. The difference is that an en dash is shorter and has a space before and after it. Grammatically, this is the same as an em dash. I want a big house - a house that is big enough to fit my family. Using an em dash makes the phrase less a part of the sentence (it stands out on it's own kind of like how this parenthetical clause stands out from the sentence I'm typing right now) but more emphasized. I want a big house-a house that is big enough to fit my family. I also changed "it is" to "it's" also to make the phrase sound less emphasized. Notice that I changed "a house" to "one." Using a comma with "a house" is somewhat awkward as "a house" makes the phrase seem as if it should be emphasized whereas the commas indicate that it should not be emphasized. Using a comma makes the phrase (one that's big enough to fit my family) more a part of the sentence and less emphasized. I want a big house, one that's big enough to fit my family. (You can see a bullet point of what you can use and why you might want to use one method over another at the end of this overly long answer) Can Use Comma ![]()
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