The Long Dash
“Em-dashes play all types of roles—extender, interrupter, lister—but what they have in common is an inherent desire to do more, to say a little extra, to create a kind of double time.”
Sometimes I forget how to use commas. I’m not guilty of run-ons or splices. I never fuse. Listing, I even prefer the optional Oxford. Yet show me an introductory element or a blankety-blank clause and I freeze up. I blame the paucity of public school grammar lessons—and then I use a dash.
Home Aloneem dashesemen
gerundos—mantequilla escritorio la falda El guióncon el guión
caja
Where the Sidewalk Ends

Five Days in Oak Forest
Five Days in Oak Forest
FriendsHow many sets of parenthesis are too many?
I received mail most days: a catalog; an autographed photo of an Illinois politician; or a note, like this one, from my great-aunt.

umsrights
Vox eA VoidVoxThe Fermata
fermareThe Fermata.
commashsemi-colash colash
The Mezzaninegradus,
wasall
“
Cosmo
JoAnna Novak writes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Her debut novel, I Must Have You, will be published in 2017.
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