Dash / Colon / Semicolon 에 관하여

(요약)

* Dash: 부가적인 정보에 대한 강조를 위해 사용. 일방향 대시든 양방향 대시든.

* Colon: 앞선 문장의 부연 설명을 위해 활용. 그 뒤에 명사절이 와도 되고, 문장 전체가 와도 좋고. 

* Semicolon: 두 문장이 특정한 의미관계로 밀접하게 연결돼 있다는 것을 보여줌. Period 보다는 조금은 더 가까운 연결.

 

 

Dash " - " 

1. To set off material for emphasis. 특정 대목에 관심을 유도하기 위한 '강조'의 기능
- Think of dashes as the opposite of parentheses. Where parentheses indicate that the reader should put less emphasis on the enclosed material, dashes indicate that the reader should pay more attention to the material between the dashes. - - Dashes add drama—parentheses whisper. 

- Dashes can be used for emphasis in several ways. A single dash can emphasize material at the beginning or end of a sentence.

ex) After eighty years of dreaming, the elderly man realized it was time to finally revisit the land of his youth—Ireland.
ex) Ever since Syria turned to a battlefield in 2011, many Syrian people have been driven out of the country - the majority heading to Europe.

- Two dashes can emphasize material in the middle of a sentence. Some style and grammar guides even permit you to write a complete sentence within the dashes.
ex) Everything I saw in my new neighborhood - from the graceful elm trees to the stately brick buildings - reminded me of my alma mater.
ex) The students - they were each over the age of eighteen - lined up in the streets to vote for the presidential candidates.

- Two dashes can emphasize a modifier. Words or phrases that describe a noun can be set off with dashes if you wish to emphasize them.
ex) The fairgrounds - cold and wet in the October rain - were deserted.
ex) Nettie - her chin held high - walked out into the storm.

2. To mark "bonus phrases." 부가 정보를 강조하는 용도
- Phrases that add information or clarify but are not necessary to the meaning of a sentence are ordinarily set off with commas. But when the phrase itself already contains one or more commas, dashes can help readers understand the sentence.
- Slightly confusing example with commas:
ex) Even the simplest tasks, washing, dressing, and going to work, were nearly impossible after I broke my leg.
- Better example with dashes:
ex) Even the simplest tasks - washing, dressing, and going to work - were nearly impossible after I broke my leg.
ex) Although this is certainly true for most species, there are some animals that - unable to use their environments efficiently - must depend on others.
ex) Health, safety, education, and freedom - and not leisure - are the final objectives of technology.
ex) Great achievers are by nature ambitious people and therefore tend to be dissatisfied and discontent with their accomplishments - no matter how great. 
ex) Great athletes are compelled to try to better their record-breaking performances; great artists and musicians typically claim that their greatest work will be their next one - a sign of personal discontent. 
ex) I also concede that by encouraging and cultivating positive emotions and feelings - such as compassion and empathy - society clearly stands to benefit. 

Colon " : 

- 부연 설명이 따라붙는 콜론. 구체적으로 열거하거나 부연 설명하는 방식으로 보충 설명

Colons follow independent clauses (clauses that could stand alone as sentences) and can be used to present an explanation, draw attention to something, or join ideas together.

- Common uses of colons
1. To announce, introduce, or direct attention to a list, a noun or noun phrase, a quotation, or an example/explanation. 

You can use a colon to draw attention to many things in your writing. 
ex) We covered many of the fundamentals in our writing class: grammar, punctuation, style, and voice.
ex) This book covers several topics: grammar, vocabulary, and composition.
ex) Money has two main functions: a medium of exchange and a medium to store wealth.

Noun/noun phrase example:
ex) My roommate gave me the things I needed most: companionship and quiet.

Quotation example:
ex) Shakespeare said it best: “To thine own self be true.”
ex) The president of one local carmaker said: "We are on the verge of shutting down."

Example/explanation example:
ex) Many graduate students discover that there is a dark side to academia: late nights, high stress, and a crippling addiction to caffeinated beverages.

2. To join sentences. 

You can use a colon to connect two sentences when the second sentence summarizes, sharpens, 
or explains the first. Both sentences should be complete, and their content should be very closely related. 
Note that if you use colons this way too often, it can break up the flow of your writing. 
So don’t get carried away with your colons!

ex) Life is like a puzzle: half the fun is in trying to work it out.
ex) I disagree with the speaker for another reason: the suggestion that technology's chief goal should be to facilitate leisure is wrongheaded.

Semicolon " ; "

- 문장 연결의 묘미. 두 문장이 특정한 의미관계로 밀접하게 연결돼 있다는 것을 보여줌

- The semicolon looks like a comma with a period above it, and this can be a good way to remember what it does. 
A semicolon creates more separation between thoughts than a comma does but less than a period does. 
Here are the two most common uses of the semicolon:

 

1. To help separate items in a list, when some of those items already contain commas.
Let’s look at an example, as that is the easiest way to understand this use of the semicolon. 
Suppose I want to list three items that I bought at the grocery store:

apples
grapes
pears

In a sentence, I would separate these items with commas:

I bought apples, grapes, and pears.

Now suppose that the three items I want to list are described in phrases that already contain some commas:

shiny, ripe apples
small, sweet, juicy grapes
firm pears

If I use commas to separate these items, my sentence looks like this:
I bought shiny, ripe apples, small, sweet, juicy grapes, and firm pears.

That middle part is a bit confusing - it doesn’t give the reader many visual cues about how many items are in the list, or about which words should be grouped together. Here is where the semicolon can help. The commas between items can be “bumped up” a notch and turned into semicolons, so that readers can easily tell how many items are in the list and which words go together:

I bought shiny, ripe apples; small, sweet, juicy grapes; and firm pears.

 

(More example)

ex) Consider, for example, how economics students learn about the relationship between supply and demand.

Learning this dynamics involves (1) entertaining a theory, and formulating a new one; (2) testing hypothetical scenarios against the theory; and (3) examining real-world facts for the purpose of confirming, refuting, modifying, or qualifying the theory."

2. To join two sentences.
An independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own (independently) - it is a complete sentence. Semicolons can be used between two independent clauses. The semicolon keeps the clauses somewhat separate, like a period would do, so we can easily tell which ideas belong to which clause. But it also suggests that there may be a close relationship between the two clauses—closer than you would expect if there were a period between them. 
Let’s look at a few examples. Here are a few fine independent clauses, standing on their own as complete sentences:

I went to the grocery store today. I bought a ton of fruit. Apples, grapes, and pears were on sale.

Now where could semicolons fit in here? They could be used to join two (but not all three) of the independent clauses together. So either of these pairs of sentences would be okay:

I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit. Apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.
(OR)
I went to the grocery store today. I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.

I could NOT do this:
I went to the grocery store today; I bought a ton of fruit; apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale.

But why would I want to use a semicolon here, anyway? One reason might have to do with style: the three short sentences sound kind of choppy or abrupt. A stronger reason might be if I wanted to emphasize a relationship between two of the sentences. If I connect “I bought a ton of fruit” and “Apples, grapes, and pears were all on sale” more closely, readers 
may realize that the reason why I bought so much fruit is that there was a great sale on it.

(More example)
ex) At the beginning of European Middle Ages, books were not prevalent like modern times; as a result, most of the population was illiterate.

 

 

 

 

[참조] 미국식 영작문 수업 - 최정숙 지음

[참조] The writing center of UNC  https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/semi-colons-colons-and-dashes/

Semicolons, colons, and dashes – The Writing Center • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill