There is no dash between the subject and the nominal predicate:
1. If the subject is expressed by a personal or demonstrative pronoun: She his daughter. He wants to understand her(Shcherb.); Is this an office? Is this a bedroom? (Ch.)
Note. A dash is possible: a) if the whole sentence contains a question accompanied by surprise: Is she his daughter?!(both members of the sentence are stressed); b) when emphasizing an indication of a given subject: This is an office (And this is an office.); c) in opposition: I am a teacher and you are an engineer.
2. If one of the main members is expressed by an interrogative pronoun, and the other by a noun or personal pronoun: Who is your protector? What is study? Who is she?
3. If there is a negation with the predicate-noun: Landscape not a appendage to prose and not decoration(Paust.); Russia is not Petersburg, it is huge (Prishv.); Old age is not joy (last). However, when contrasting the predicate with negation, it requires a dash (not ... a): And at the same time he noticed that he was not a master in his house, but only an integral part of it(M. G.) (cf. without opposition: He is not master in his house).
4. If the predicate is expressed by an adjective or participle: And your room is so good for a child (Ch.); I have many good people, almost all are good(Sim.); He had two wounds. Wounds easy but the man lost a lot of blood(Paust.); log cabin pink, peeling, country-style small, covered with a green iron roof(Kav.); Severe autumn sad late look (Zabol.); In the dining room, the feast is hot and ardent (Sickness).
However, with a predicate-adjective, a dash is placed with a structural parallelism of parts of a sentence, accompanied in oral speech by intonational emphasis (stress) of both members of the sentence: Everything in her appearance attracted attention: her look - sharp, hairstyle - boyish, clothes - modern, fashionable; cf. with emphasis on only the predicate: The weather is unbearable, the road is bad, the coachman is stubborn , the horses are not driven, but the caretaker is to blame(P.). A dash is also possible in the presence of several (homogeneous) predicates: Her son is yellow, long and glasses(M. G.).
5. If the predicate is expressed by a turnover with comparative particles like, like, that, exactly, sort of like and etc.: Life is like a legend; Sky like an open tent; Brooch looks like a bee(Ch.); The forest is like a fairy tale; A week is one day . Passes quickly; Pondlike shiny steel(Fet). A dash is not put and when introducing a predicate that lexically matches the subject: Ice like ice, desert like desert (Kav.); The village is like a village; house as a house - old, dark(Shuksh.).
Note. When emphasizing the predicate (usually for stylistic purposes), a dash is possible: This lonely and maybe completely random shot -like a signal(Furm.); His mouth is bitter from tobacco-samosadu, his head -like a kettlebell(Shol.); Blackening glades -like black islands in a white snowy sea(Boon.); Milky Way -like a big society(B. Past.); moon in the skylike a Central Asian melon(Current.).
6. If between the subject and the predicate-noun there is an introductory word, circumstance or addition, as well as a union or a particle: Rook, of course , the bird is smart and independent, but it has no voice(Paust.); my father for me friend and mentor; Moscow Now port of five seas; My brother Same engineer; This stream just the beginning of the river.
In addition, it must be remembered that in the case when you need to put a sign between numbers or words reflecting quantitative uncertainty, do not put a dash, but a hyphen:
She hasn't left the house for five or seven days.
Add 3-4 teaspoons of anise and dill to the sauce.
Before the general word
The obligatory case when a dash is placed is a sentence in which the generalizing word follows the homogeneous members of the sentence. It is preceded by a dash.
Currants, gooseberries, raspberries, irgu - all the berries the girl managed to taste this summer.
Distant relatives, friends whom he had not seen for a long time, half-forgotten colleagues from his old job - for some reason they all began to be remembered recently.
Before an appendix at the end of a sentence
If the application at the absolute end of the sentence needs to be logically distinguished, this is indicated by a dash in writing:
When we entered, his cat ran out to meet us - fluffy Alice.
All the way, my son kept telling me about his new acquaintance, Boris Ivanovich.
How I would like to chat with you as a specialist about my favorite business - construction.
Before the minor member of the sentence, which is expressed by the infinitive
If the minor member of the sentence is expressed as an infinitive and has an explanatory character, it is separated by a dash.
Finally, a plan matured in him and a decision was born - to take the first step and make peace.
A child who hates school has only one choice - to use every opportunity to play truant legally.
For insert structures
Any dashes are surrounded by dashes, including those that end with a question or exclamation mark. This is actually the case when a dash is put between sentences.
And these little newborn kittens - I don't even want to think about it! - live in such conditions.
All good students - how could it be otherwise? - must be passionate about their future profession.
In non-union proposals
In cases where a dash is placed, the non-union proposal contains such parts that are opposed to each other:
We officially invited him to visit - he did not even deign to answer anything.
Ask her homework - she will pretend that nothing like this happened.
In addition, a dash is placed before that part of the non-union sentence, the meaning of which is to express the conclusion, result or consequence of what is said in the previous part of the complex sentence:
Mom came - and all the sorrows, as always, seemed small and quickly forgotten.
When making direct speech and dialogue
A dash in a complex sentence is placed, in addition, when making a direct speech, it separates the words of the author from the quote:
"I have already come! - the daughter shouted cheerfully and, after a pause, mysteriously asked: - Do you know who I saw today?
When making a dialogue, a dash is also placed before each statement:
Can't you learn to keep secrets? - strictly asked Mitya's father.
- I can. I keep it, I just didn’t know that you also need to keep it from you, - the kid answered lostly.
In addition, there are other special cases when a dash is put in a sentence, but basically all of them are variants or modifications of those listed.
The Russian language is large and complex. One of the reasons for the difficulty of learning the Russian language is the flexibility of its grammatical structures. Memorizing the entire set of rules for punctuation is an almost impossible task even for those who consider Russian their native language. One of the most difficult in terms of punctuation is the usual dash.
Dash Rules
The following rules describe when to put a dash in a sentence (examples in brackets to illustrate the rules). So, in what cases is a dash put:
- Between the predicate and the subject, if the predicate is a noun and is used in the nominative case. (A wolf is an animal. A good car is a man's dream.) If the predicate is with the particle not, then the dash is omitted. (A car is not a luxury.);
- Between the predicate and the subject, if the subject is in the nominative case, and the predicate is the indefinite form of the verb, or if they are both verbs of the indefinite form. (The dream is to live forever. To sleep is not to carry bags.);
- A dash is placed before "this" if the predicate is attached to the subject with this word. This rule applies to the words "this is", "here", "this means" (A lion is a beast. Flying is a worthy dream.);
- Before generalizing words after enumerations. (The eye, nose, mouth - everything on the face. Neither tears, nor prayer - nothing touched him.);
- Before an appendix if it is at the end of a sentence. (He wanted one thing - money and only money.);
- Between a pair of predicates or sentences, if in the second - a sharp opposition or unexpected attachment to the first. (I came - and everyone is already here! I wanted to drink - I dropped the glass.);
- Between sentences or words connected without conjunctions to emphasize a sharp contrast. (Not the water in that bowl is the nectar of the gods.);
- Between sentences, if the second contains a conclusion from the first or a result and is not connected by a union. (The palm itches - there will be money. Fingers in the socket - it will shock.);
- Between the subordinate and main clauses, if the main comes second and is not joined by a union. (The forest is cut down - chips fly.);
- At the place where simple sentences break up into two groups of words, if it is impossible to express it in another way. (The enemy - to the dust! And the sergeant - the medal "For Courage.");
- In a sentence in the middle, two dashes highlight explanations and additions, if bracketing reduces the expressiveness of the text. (And Pakhomych - a rare bastard and a rogue - did not come at all.);
- In a sentence in the middle, two dashes highlight a common application if it is necessary to show its independence. (Behind the wall of the house - an ordinary rural five-wall - a whole detachment was hiding.);
- In a sentence in the middle, a group of homogeneous members is distinguished by two dashes. (Usually building materials - boards, nails, logs and staples - are prepared in advance.) If such a listing is preceded by a generalizing word, then a dash is needed only at the end. (The entire detachment, namely: Petya, Vasya, Igor and Semyon, did not enter the lineup.);
- After a comma, when it is necessary to separate the main sentence from the group of subordinate clauses and emphasize the disintegration of the whole into parts. (There will be an end of the world, there won't be - no one knows.);
- After the decimal point, when you need to specify an increase or decrease in the period. (People fly into space, curbed atomic energy, write brilliant music, create unprecedented structures - and you can’t take out the trash!);
- Between words, if these words limit the spatial, temporal or quantitative gap. (Flight Ankara - Yerevan. Break 5-7 minutes.);
- Between the constituent parts of the name of a teaching or scientific institutions. (Law of Biot-Savart-Laplace.);
As you can see, there are a lot of rules explaining when a dash is put, and not all cases are even listed here when this punctuation mark can be used. Also, information in which sentences a dash is placed can be found in the article “Why do you need a dash?”.
dash or colon
Often when writing, they confuse the cases when a dash is put, and when a colon is put. As a rule, a colon is placed before the enumeration, which is preceded by a generalizing word; before direct speech; before two or more sentences not connected by conjunctions, one of which explains the other.
1. When both the subject and the predicate are nouns in the nominative case.
For example, let's take the famous dialogue between Lyudmila Prokofievna and Verochka from Office Romance:
Blazer is a club jacket.
- For the house of culture, or what?
- You can go there too.
Blazer is the subject, jacket is the predicate. Both main members of the sentence are expressed by nouns in the nominative case. So the dash is needed.
A similar example from the movie "Formula of Love":
“The head is a dark object and is not subject to research.”
But if the predicate and the subject are interchanged, the dash is not needed. Example: “What a muck this is your aspic fish!” Muck is the predicate, the fish is the subject.
2. When the subject and predicate are verbs in an indefinite form.
This is best illustrated with a famous quote from the movie Garage:
“To betray in time is not to betray, but to foresee.”
3. When both main members of the sentence are numerals.
Two by two is four.
4. When there are different variations of the connection of these parts of speech.
Noun + verb in indefinite form.
Or: indefinite verb + noun.
Or: noun + numeral.
5. When there are words This, Here And Means.
“Truth is what is currently considered true"("The same Munchausen").
6. When the predicate is a stable turnover.
Pie - you will lick your fingers.
When a dash is not needed
1. When the subject is expressed by a pronoun.
For example, in these quotes, a dash between the subject and the predicate is not needed:
- Not only are you a liar, a coward and impudent, you are also a fighter!
Yes, I'm a tough nut!
“I am Aunt Charlie from Brazil, where there are many, many wild monkeys in the forests!”
- A man destroyed a family, drove his wife and child out of the house!
- What a child! I am an officer!
- Kicked out his wife with an officer!
2. When there is a particle Not and it stands before a noun, numeral or phraseological phrase.
Let's remember "Only old men go to battle":
"150 tanks are not a box of matches, where can you put them."
3. When there are comparative conjunctions How, like, as if.
“A toast without wine is like a wedding night without a bride"("Prisoner of the Caucasus").
4. When there is an introductory word, circumstance, addition, union or particle between the subject and the predicate.
“The professor, of course, is a burdock, but the equipment is with him-m-m, with him-m-m! How is it heard?("Operation "Y" and other adventures of Shurik")
But the main thing to remember is that not putting a dash where necessary is a mistake, but putting it where it seems to be not required by the rules is permissible. It all depends on the intonation and the author's idea. (You can read more about copyright and intonation punctuation marks.)
Not all Internet users understand exactly what a dash and a hyphen are. What is the difference between them? It is wrong to use them interchangeably from the point of view of the rules of the Russian language. Each character has its own meaning and input method. Moreover, in fact, more than two characters have been developed to indicate dashes in the text.
What is a hyphen
A hyphen is a spelling mark that separates parts of a word. It looks like a short horizontal dash.
Since it is part of the word, it does not beat off with spaces. The only case where a space is placed to the right of this sign is in enumerations in which only the first part of the word changes, while the second part remains the same. For example: television and radio broadcasting.
Sometimes a non-breaking hyphen is used instead of a regular hyphen. It is needed so that the constituent parts of words are not broken into different lines. In this case, the word will either remain on the previous line, or will be completely transferred to a new one.
When is a hyphen used?
To understand when a hyphen is put, and when a dash, you need to remember the rules of the Russian language. A hyphen is placed inside words.
General rules for writing words with a hyphen:
- repetition of one word: quietly, barely;
- repetition of words with the same stem: long ago, alone;
- a combination of synonyms: quietly and quietly, clever - wise;
- compound words, the first part of which is a numeral written in numbers: 100 percent, 25 years;
- increments after ordinal numbers: 7th, 12th;
- special terms and names, which include a single letter of the alphabet: α‑rays, β‑rays;
- abbreviations of complex adjectives that are written together: w.‑d. (railroad) - but railway. (Railway).
In addition, nouns are written with a hyphen in such cases:
- compound words without connecting vowels -o-, -e-: cafe-restaurant, diesel engine;
- names of political parties and their members/supporters: social-democracy, social-democrat;
- complex units of measurement: man-day, kilowatt-hour, but workday;
- intermediate cardinal directions, including foreign ones: northwest, northwest;
- compound surnames: Mamin-Sibiryak, Rimsky-Korsakov;
- some geographical names: Kamenetz‑Podolsk, Orekhovo‑Zuyevo;
- words with the first part ober-, non-commissioned officer, lifeguard, ex-, vice-: vice president, non-commissioned officer;
- application for the word being defined: an old mother, a beautiful girl.
Now consider when to write adjectives with a hyphen (with examples):
- formed from nouns that are written with a hyphen: social democratic, diesel engine;
- consist of equivalent components: meat and milk, English and German;
- indicate shades of colors: white-blue, yellow-green.
These are the main cases when you need to write words with a hyphen. The use of dashes in complex words is considered a blunder.
What is a dash
The dash is a punctuation mark. It is placed between individual words. On both sides it must be beaten off with spaces, and on the left - inseparable. This is necessary so that the sign "sticks" to the previous word and does not wrap to the next line (or wrap immediately with this word). A newline can only start with a dash if a dialog is passed.
The dash is usually divided into long and short dashes. Each of them has its own use cases. Let us consider in more detail the features of the use of dashes and hyphens. What is the difference between these characters?
When to put an em dash
Let's analyze the basic rules for a dash. In the case of a long sign, there are more of them, since this is the classic dash that we met at school. In other words, we have to remember the rules for punctuation in sentences.
The dash is used in the following cases:
- Between the subject and the predicate, if they are expressed by nouns in the nominative case or indefinite forms of the verb: to love is to live. The teacher is my friend.
- After listing before the generalizing word: russula, mushrooms, ceps, he collected a lot of mushrooms.
- Before the appendix at the end of the sentence: Petya came to visit me - my best friend.
- In place of the missing members of the sentence: I left the room, and my friend followed me.
In some cases, you need to put a dash between sentences (see examples below):
- With a sharp opposition or an unexpected turn of events: he turned around - but she was not there.
- Between parts of a complex non-union sentence, if the second part indicates the result of what the first says: I told the truth, it became easier.
Of course, there are many more rules for dashes, these are just the main points that occur most often. The use of a hyphen in such cases is unacceptable.
What is an en dash
Let's try to understand even more deeply the difference between a dash and a hyphen. What is the difference? We need to get acquainted with one more sign - an en dash (it is also called an average). Today, it is extremely rare on the Internet. The problem is that in most cases this symbol is simply not familiar to specialists developing websites. And there are reasons for this: the symbol came to us from the English-language printing house.
In width, it is equal to the letter N, which is why it was called en dash. By the way, a long character is equal to M in width, which is why it is called em dash.
Ranges
For a long time, an em dash without spaces was used to indicate a range. But today it is increasingly being replaced by a short one, and many resources are accepting it as a standard. That is, the spelling should be like this: 2000-2010, 10-12, 63-70.
The character is not preceded by a space, because the range is semantically one whole. But if we are talking about an indefinite interval with a difference of one step, then you need to put a hyphen: 2-3, 4-5.
Many are wondering what sign to put between the years - a dash or a hyphen? The answer is obvious: an en dash, because we are talking about a specific period of time: 1900-1902.
For temperatures, this method is unacceptable, since these units can have negative values. Here the range must be set through ellipsis.
Phone numbers
To date, there is no consensus on the writing of telephone numbers. In particular, Gramota.ru orders to use a hyphen, and this option is considered generally accepted. En dash spelling is gaining popularity. However, from a logical point of view, both theories are incorrect. The hyphen is still a spelling mark, and it is put in words. Also the phone number is not a range.
A special symbol has been developed for numbers - the so-called figure dash (digital dash).
What is the minus sign
As a minus, a regular hyphen is often used. Sometimes there is a variant with an en dash. In fact, a separate sign has also been developed in this case. The bottom line is that the minus in width should be equal to the plus. The minus character is longer than a hyphen, but slightly shorter than a dash.
The minus, like other mathematical symbols, must be beaten off with non-breaking spaces: 25 - 5 = 20.
How to put a transfer
A hyphen is often indicated with a hyphen. This is almost the right choice. The "ideal" hyphen is a soft hyphen, or soft hyphen. Sometimes it is called shy hyphen. Although outwardly it does not differ from a hyphen, it is he who has the meaning of separating words at the end of a line. If you put hyphen, for example, in the word “book” (“book-ga”), then it turns out that we are talking about a compound word that consists of two parts: “book-” and “-ga”. But soft hyphen will show that this is one word, only separated by a hyphen.
How to insert symbols
We now know that in Russian, dashes and hyphens should not be confused, and in some cases special characters should be used, despite common practice. But the question arises: how to insert these characters into the text?
To do this, turn on Num Lock and enter certain combinations on the numeric keypad.
Please note that outwardly the signs may look almost the same. For this reason, users may mistakenly confuse them. However, they have very different meanings, and each of them is designed for specific cases. You can not put a spelling mark instead of punctuation. It's also illogical to use a minus in phone numbers since we're not subtracting anything.
Use the non-breaking hyphen with care. On the one hand, a double surname broken into different lines looks ugly. Moreover, it is contrary to the rules of the Russian language. However, this character may not always be read correctly by mobile applications. In this case, the user will see an empty square in its place.
Symbol on the keyboard
But in practice, users most often use a symbol on the keyboard, rather than inserting the characters listed above. No wonder: it is much faster and easier than entering combinations, especially since they still need to be remembered. Usually such a character is called a hyphen.
But in fact, its name sounds like a "hyposominus". Outwardly, it does not differ from the usual hyphen, but in meaning it is not. The term itself suggests that this is an indefinite sign. It is used instead of all other dashes if it is impossible to put the correct character for technical reasons. But if you have the opportunity to insert the desired character, then it is better to do so. With the help of the hypsominus, we only show the reader that a certain dash should stand in this place. By itself, it means nothing.
Conclusion
We learned when dashes and hyphens are used and what is the difference between them. The rules require not to confuse characters and use them for their intended purpose. Even if the signs look similar on the outside, they still have different meanings. The hypsominus familiar to everyone should be used in extreme cases, because today most users have the opportunity to enter the desired combination.
