The Hyphen

[Dresdenus Prime]

I've noticed some authors use hyphens in their work, and forgive me if I should know exactly what it's used for, but I don't. Could anyon ellaborate on why hyphens are used as opposed to commas or semicolons?

[LizW65]

A hyphen is used to connect a two-part word, such as two-part.
A double hyphen, or m-dash, is used to connect two separate thoughts in the same sentence, as in:
"It's going to rain today--I'd better carry an umbrella."

[Dresdenus Prime]

Okay, I know about using the hyphen to connect certain words, but I'm not so aware of the one to connect thoughts. Here are two examples of what I'm talking about. This comes from the third book of the Iron Duid Chronicles so be aware of any minor spoilers;

(click to show/hide)

That blow had clearly been intended to take my head off or punch a hole through my chest-or something equally fatal.

(click to show/hide)

Sure, the beard was being controlled magically, but that magic was targeting the hair, not me, and apart from being completely gross, such hair could constrict my windpipe every bit as effectively as a length of rope-and there were twelve such lengths reaching for me now.

Is this the two seperate thoughts you speak of? If I had written this, I would have used commas, so would I have technicaly written it incorrectly? Or is writing that way a matter of personal taste?

[Snowleopard]

Is not a hyphen also used when you have a long word and reach the end of a sentence and have to continue
the word on the next line?  You put a hyphen in. 
It's been a loooooooonnnnggg time since College English.

[Dresdenus Prime]

It's been a loooooooonnnnggg time since College English.

I know right??!!! 

[Aminar]

Okay, I know about using the hyphen to connect certain words, but I'm not so aware of the one to connect thoughts. Here are two examples of what I'm talking about. This comes from the third book of the Iron Duid Chronicles so be aware of any minor spoilers;

(click to show/hide)

That blow had clearly been intended to take my head off or punch a hole through my chest-or something equally fatal.

(click to show/hide)

Sure, the beard was being controlled magically, but that magic was targeting the hair, not me, and apart from being completely gross, such hair could constrict my windpipe every bit as effectively as a length of rope-and there were twelve such lengths reaching for me now.

Is this the two seperate thoughts you speak of? If I had written this, I would have used commas, so would I have technicaly written it incorrectly? Or is writing that way a matter of personal taste?

It is the two different thoughts.  In my mind it creates a longer pause if that makes sense...  It's not grammar as much as it's flavor.

[LizW65]

It's not grammar as much as it's flavor.

This.  The m-dash creates a bit more drama in the sentence, if you will.  Take the following quote from Fool Moon:  "And I knew that there was some dark corner of me that would enjoy using magic for killing--and then long for more."
Now replace the m-dash with a comma: "And I knew that there was some dark corner of me that would enjoy using magic for killing, and then long for more."
Both grammatically correct, but the former has a bit more of a dramatic impact.

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

Both grammatically correct, but the former has a bit more of a dramatic impact.

It strikes me as a pacing thing which is very hard to specify or define grammatically.  I use more semicolons than most people, and I have something of a similar difficulty there; to my mind there is a different degree of implicit logical connection between the bits of a sentence before and after a semicolon and those before and after an em-dash, it's just very hard to characterise.

[Snowleopard]

I know right??!!! 

Yeah, verily yeah!
And now many writing programs like Word take care of a lot of stuff that you used to have to worry about and/or remember.

[Figging Mint]

It strikes me as a pacing thing which is very hard to specify or define grammatically. 

"Stronger than a , weaker than a . " doesn't work for you here?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

And now many writing programs like Word take care of a lot of stuff that you used to have to worry about and/or remember.

That's the worst misspelling of "bugger up anything you are trying to do that's more stylistically advanced than a New York Times editorial" that I've ever seen.  Did you write this post in Word ?

[the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh]

"Stronger than a , weaker than a . " doesn't work for you here?

I have no problem with that - or rather, with scaling  , < ; < : < . in actual use; it's just conveying my stylistic decision-making process to other people that sometimes gets difficult.

[Snowleopard]

Naw just on the Forum.

[trboturtle]

I tend to use the emdash to covey motion. If the scene is a high-tempo action scene, and I need to describe something, I use the emdash.

Example: "The man I was chasing --- short, ugly, but damn fast --- scooted around a corner and out of sight."

The comma I use when it's not an action scene.

Craig

[Figging Mint]

We're all a pathetically parenthetical bunch.   It's a wonder we don't lisp.