Use of the dash

[AngloScot]

When should a dash be used at the end of a line in a piece of text and when should it be used at the beginning of the line? I'm not sure if there is a difference or if it is just a case of how much text fits on a line.

[Hippy]

The dash, as opposed to the hyphen, which connects two different words more closely (e.g. two-wheeler, thirty-six, mother-in-law, morning-after pill), is used either to break up a long word occurring at the end of a line of type into two parts to accommodate the line beak, or as a literary effect, a pause in the natural flow, or occasionally to indicate that something is missing.

In the first case the dash should split the word so that comprehension is not compromised. For example, "house-(newline)maid" is quite understandable, but "hou-(newline)semaid" not so much, and "housema-(newline)id" even less so.

Some writers use the dash to introduce an unexpected element to their style, or to introduce a seeming afterthought that throws the previous part into stronger relief. For example, "Reginald was sure that the fire was started deliberately; the smell of petrol confirmed that - was this the work of his arch enemy, Count Blazenhoff?" Another, showing the something missing use, "At last, Reginald was in the same room as Count Blazenhoff, that despicable - bounder of a man."

In formal English composition try to avoid the use of the dash as a stylistic expression. Rather use the semicolon ";" as linking two clauses but with a more noticeable pause than a comma, and the colon ":" linking two contrasting ides and expressed as complete sentences (subject, verb, & object). For example, "Reginald's tie was crooked, his jacket was torn and he only wore one sock; he had the appearance of one who had dressed in the  dark." and for the colon, "Man proposes: God disposes."

 

[Hippy]

Sorry, the colon links two contrasting ideas! The ides is a Roman festival on the 15th of the month.