When Both Apple and Samsung scored less in Language Proficiency 😊

The Constant Clash between the Hyphen and the Dash!

[In their Ads]

#newspaperinlearning #commonerrorsinenglish #evenhomernods #languageofadvertisements #redflagsinwriting #languagemonitor

8th November 2023

This blog post intends to highlight the difference between the hyphen and the dash by looking at a few advertisements and news reports, that were carried in the major English-language dailies quite recently, to emphasise on the important fact that -

the Hyphen and the Dash are NOT the same!

That means, the hyphen can never be used in the place of the dash, and vice versa!

Yes! 

There’s always a Clash!

between the Hyphen and the Dash! 😊

Hence, it would do well for us—language enthusiasts—to remember this simple formula -

The Hyphen Unites!

The Dash Separates!

With this in mind, now let’s go ahead and look at a few news reports and advertisements that were carried in the Chennai Edition of some major English-language dailies, quite recently.

Consider this advertisement released by Samsung –

The New Indian Express, 7th November 2023

The general rule is: Always use a hyphen when a number forms part of an adjectival compound!

6 months is an adjectival compound.

And as we know, the hyphen unites!

So it should be written as: six-month screen protection plan. ✅

Yet another general rule is that, numbers between 1 and 9 are usually written in letters.

So

It’s not a 1-month course. ❌

It’s a one-month course. ✅

It’s not a 6-month course. ❌

It’s a six-month course. ✅

Numbers from 10 onwards can be written in numerals.

So it’s a 12-hour programme. ✅

Or 

It’s a 15-hour journey. ✅

Now, consider this sentence –

1. The Department of English, MCC, offers a six-month certificate course in Communication Skills. ✅

Or it could also be written as -

The Department of English offers a six months' certificate course in Communication Skills. ✅

The tenant is usually expected to deposit six-months’ rent, as advance, to the house owner. ✅

The bus stand is just a five-minute walk from the railway station. ✅

The bus stand is just five minutes’ walk from the railway station. ✅

Trivandrum is a 12-hour journey by train. ✅

Now, let’s consider this advertisement from Apple Inc.

They’ve rightly made use of the hyphen in 1-month.

However, it would have been better still, if they’d used one-month, instead!

A few more examples await us -

Microsoft’s 12-month subscription is yet another example of correct usage! ✅

The famed Renard Press has got it right!

It’s “six-month subscription”. ✅

The Economist has also got it right!

It’s “one-month free trial”. ✅

Advertisement in today's Times of India

It’s 5000-server rack capacity. ✅

As regards the word centre circled in red - 

although we prefer the British variant ‘centre’ to the American ‘center’, there are no hard and fast rules on that aspect. 

However, for parity and clarity sake, it’s better to stick to the same form of spelling for uniformity’s sake. 

So it’s either ‘centre’ or ‘center’! Not a mix of both! 😊

Note: In the Indian context, almost all the major newspapers, [including Times of India, The Hindu, New Indian Express], and magazines [India Today, Outlook] and books, that are printed in the English language, always follow the British variant, as regards spelling.

In today's New Indian Express

The 100-year plan is also an example of correct usage. ✅

Consider this news report in today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition –

The phrase circled in green, “First of its kind” becomes a compound adjective when it is hyphenated!

Today's Times of India

So it’s hyphenated here, and not dashed!

[based on the rule – a hyphen unites; a dash separates!]

One more example, from today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition, on hyphenating adjectival compounds.

Today's Times of India

Note: An adjectival compound usually precedes a noun. So it could be written as –

A first-of-its-kind mobile phone.

Now let’s dash ahead to the DASH! 😊

Well, as regards the DASH –

They’re of two types!

1) the en dash (as it’s the size of the letter n)

and

2) the em dash (as it’s the size of the letter m)

Now let’s look at an example of the en dash from today’s newspaper - 

Today's Times of India

In the above news report, we have instances of the en dash and the hyphen as well!

[Chinese-made crackers, Environment-friendly and People-friendly are examples of adjectival compounds, and hence hyphenated.]

Now let’s look at the headline for the en dash - 

Burst crackers only from 6 am–7 am, 7 pm–8 pm.

Here, we find an example of the en dash.

The en dash represents the words “to,” “through,” or “and.”

The chief use of the en dash is to indicate a range!

It could be a range of numbers or a span of time as well.

The classrooms were 20–30 feet wide.

The BA English Class (2005–2008) had their alumni reunion last month.

Breakfast timings are: 7–9.30 am daily.

For additional inputs on the topic, students can photocopy pages 20–32 from this book.

Hence, it is used for –

a specific duration of time, eg., 6–7 pm

between page numbers (e.g., pp. 15–25)

academic years (e.g., 2020–2023), etc.

Finally, let us move on to the em dash –

Consider the following news article on Artificial Intelligence, in today’s Times of India, Chennai Edition by M. Muneer.

The writer has used the em dash at five different places in the course of his article.

Today's Times of India

So when do we use the em dash?

Well, the em dash is used to highlight additional information that is not quite essential to understanding the sentence per se!

Simply put, the phrase or the clause that follows the em dash can be said, with a change of tone!

The general rule would be –

If you want to signal a change of tone within a sentence, you may consider using the em dash!

Examples of em dash -

Please don’t ask me to come for work on Sunday—it’s the only day I get for myself!

Mobile phones—although they’re quite useful—have always been a source of great distraction while driving!

A few years ago—I’m not sure how long to be precise—we had an alumni reunion in the Department!

Note: An em dash can also be used instead of using a semicolon or colon or a parentheses as well.

Summing up this blog post then, by tweaking Rudyard Kipling’s famed ballad a little bit – 😊

Oh, a Hyphen is a Hyphen, and a Dash is a Dash, and never the twain shall meet,

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at God's great Judgment Seat;

That’s again, because the East Unites & the West Separates!

Oops…

The Hyphen Unites and the Dash Separates! 😊