Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The New York University Editing Workshop web page warns, "NEVER refer to a hyphen as a 'dash.'" But wait! There's only one key on my keyboard that produces a straight, horizontal line that is placed at a mid-character level. Is it a hyphen or a dash?
2. Our noble friend, the hyphen, brings closer together things that should not be separated, even by so much as a space. Hence, when a hyphen is used, no spaces are placed between the hyphen and the words it connects. Which of the following expressions should have an em dash rather than a hyphen?
3. Compound words have three "designations": open with a space between the two words (high school), closed with no space between (bookstore) or hyphenated (ill-favored). Furthermore - I am not making this up and it is not my fault - compound words have three forms: noun forms, adjective forms, and words formed with prefixes. Bearing this in mind, which of the following should be hyphenated?
4. There seem to be few consistent rules for hyphenating when using prefixes; style manuals differ on a word-by-word basis. In his essay, "The Great Hyphenation Hoax", Tom Little states, "Hyphenation of compounds is one of the things that makes even the mildest editors growl and spit." Which of the following expressions would be acceptable to the Chicago Manual of Style, the AP style manual and presumably, most others?
5. An adverb must never, ever be linked with a hyphen to an adjective.
6. Phew! Done with hyphens. Dashes are more straightforward, I promise. There are en dashes and em dashes. They differ in length. Is it true than en dashes are as long as the letter "n", whereas em dashes are as long as the letter "m"?
7. Neither the em dash nor the en dash is on the standard keyboard or typewriter. There is an HTML expression for the em dash and the en dash. Which of the following is not an acceptable alternative for an em dash?
8. An em dash is stronger than a comma and weaker than a period. According to the NYU Editing Workshop, which of the following would be an appropriate indication for an em dash?
9. I will be visiting England this summer, if I ever get this quiz finished. Would it be reasonable to replace the comma in the preceding sentence with an em dash?
10. If you are discussing straight horizontal punctuation marks - hyphen, em dash and en dash - and list them in the midst of your sentence, would parentheses be more appropriate than em dashes?
11. "PEOPLE'S WHOLE LIVES DO PASS IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES BEFORE THEY DIE. THE PROCESS IS CALLED 'LIVING'." Death
In the preceding quote from a book by Terry Pratchett, where should an em dash be placed?
12. "You would never believe," and the speaker was lying through his teeth, "how exciting punctuation can be!" What change of punctuation is acceptable in the preceding quote?
13. Some might ask, "Can em dashes be used -" Is it appropriate to use an em dash after an incomplete thought?
14. In certain circumstances, one should use an en dash (-) to connect words in the way one uses a hyphen. Which of the following is a legitimate use of an en dash?
15. If one wished to refer to questions 1 - 15, would one use a hyphen or en dash?
Source: Author
uglybird
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ILuv2Teach before going online.
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