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I've noticed that many, not all, scripts often use the double hyphen (--) to combine two ideas in a single sentence such as: 'She looks behind her -- but he's not there'. I take it this is done for dramatic effect but it still strikes me as odd since I don't believe it to be proper usage. I know it doesn't replace the standard single hyphen such as when breaking up a compound word like 'hell-raiser' but then I'll see it used in place of elipses (...) often in a passage of dialog to indicate a beat or pause. Some scripts use both hyphens and elipses in dialog. Is there a difference? Is one meant to be stronger than the other?
Thanks in advance.
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." - Albert Einstein
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dogglebe
Posted: October 29th, 2006, 9:07pm
Guest User
A double hyphen is used when someone's dialogue is suddenly interrupted.
JOHN picks up a gun
JOHN I wondered if it's loaded--
BLAM!
The elipses (...) is used when the dialogue drags off.
MOM enters the kitchen. There's spaghetti sauce everyone.
Phil's usage above is correct, but I see it isn't what you're referring to.
The double hyphen (which in English usage is referred to as a dash, not a hyphen, because it is longer) is used in English to present an "aside" in a sentence. It's used like a colon or semi-colon or parenthesis are used. Basically to present a break in the though process to present something else, but belongs in the actual flow of the sentence and may or may not present a complete thought.
Therefore, I could have just as easily written: The double hyphen--which in English usage is referred to as a dash, not a hyphen, because it is longer--is used in English to present an "aside" in a sentence. Space or no space? The jury is out on that one, and it can go either way.
Actually I was referring to both so thanks George and Phil. Now--as you can see by this hair-raising example--I know when to use my elipses, hypens, dashes...
BTW, it seems like standard keyboards don't even have a dash key. Strange. I guess that's why we double hyphen our dashes.
"If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." - Albert Einstein
BTW, it seems like standard keyboards don't even have a dash key. Strange. I guess that's why we double hyphen our dashes.
That's exactly why we use a double hyphen. It's to simulate the dash. Some Word Processors (like Word) will automatically change the double hyphen to a dash, since it is in the character set of most fonts, if you know the ASCII code for it.
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The double hyphen
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