Dash for a Broken or Incomplete Sentence
The Dash
Rulebase Summary
Use a dash when the sentence structure is broken — that is, when a sentence is begun and is not completed. The speaker starts a thought, abandons it, and begins a new one. The dash marks the point where the original thought was abandoned.
Examples
A. I was going to...I called my attorney instead.
A. I was going to -- I called my attorney instead.
Dash marks where the first thought was abandoned.
A. The report, well, I decided to speak with my supervisor first.
A. The report -- I decided to speak with my supervisor first.
Original thought broken off; new sentence begins.
Transcript Notes
A person can break their own sentence (self-interruption), interrupt someone else, or be interrupted by someone else. In all cases, the result is broken sentence structure requiring a dash.
When a witness interrupts and begins answering before the question is finished, the attorney sometimes just accepts the answer and never completes the question. Most court reporters prefer a space before and after the dash (spaced dash). Most CAT software defaults to two spaces, so the spaced dash is now the preferred style.
Dashed material that resumes does not begin with capitals unless the first word is the pronoun I or a proper noun.
Style Guide References (2)
BGGP
Morson's