Confusion between colon and dash

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atm  #41636  Wed, 11 Aug 04 06:57 AM
Hi,

Do you think colon is okay in the following two sentences or it should be a dash instead or both are wrong?

1. But when it comes to racing, we know who is the best bet:horses.

2. We worry about all the things around us such as hot jobs, emerging fields, prestigious companies and so on but fail to look for the answer where it actually lies: inside us.

Thanks.

ATM
  
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anon1  #41656  Wed, 11 Aug 04 07:49 AM
Hi Atm,

Here is a good link that describes Dashes and Colons.

1. But when it comes to racing, we know who is the best bet:horses.

2. We worry about all the things around us such as hot jobs, emerging fields, prestigious companies and so on but fail to look for the answer where it actually lies: inside us.


In both your sentences, I'd use a dash.

Hope that helps.

MountainHiker
  
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atm  #41695  Wed, 11 Aug 04 01:01 PM
Hi MountainHiker,

Thanks for your reply.

My understanding is that a dash can be used in the following cases:

1. Abrupt break or interruption
2. To announce long appositive
3. To summarise

Do you agree that these are the only cases where a dash can be used? If yes, how would you explain using it in the two sentences? I mean, which of the three cases applies here?

Thanks.

ATM
  
anon1  #41720  Wed, 11 Aug 04 04:24 PM
Hi Atm,

Here is another link on dashes you might find useful. Here is another link on colons that you might find useful.

With regard to your question, I would say it is 1. Abrupt break or interruption.

1. But when it comes to racing, we know who is the best bet--horses.

2. We worry about all the things around us such as hot jobs, emerging fields, prestigious companies and so on but fail to look for the answer where it actually lies--inside us.

To me, a dash is a bit more emphatic that a colon. You want to call attention to what lies beyond the dash. So in your two sentences, you have set up the sentences for this emphatic ending.

Here is a another link that discusses dashes giving more emphasis than colons.

I tend to think of colons as list generators or short punchy summary points. I tend to think of dashes as having more emphasis.

I hope that helps.

MountainHiker

Useful for my searches later on.
Keywords: dash, colon, emphasis, summary
Previous link mentioned earlier: http://www.sfu.ca/~gmccarro/Grammar/Dash.html
  
atm  #41724  Wed, 11 Aug 04 04:34 PM
Thanks, MountainHiker.

ATM
  
anon1  #41736  Wed, 11 Aug 04 05:25 PM
My pleasure ATM!
  
miriam  #41854  Thu, 12 Aug 04 08:45 AM
Hello, ATM. Smile [:)]

The three cases you mentioned for the use of dashes are correct. Dashes are used similarly to commas, and commas wouldn't do in either sentence.
A colon is a much better choice in your examples.

Miriam
  
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"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." Plato
atm  #41868  Thu, 12 Aug 04 09:56 AM
Hello Mariam,

Thanks!

ATM
  
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