Dash: Setting Off Appositives That Contain Commas

An appositive is a small section of extra information which is inserted into a sentence for clarification. Commas are usually used to offset the appositive, but if the appositive contains one or more commas, that would get confusing for the reader. When using an appositive that contains a comma, offset it with dashes, instead.

Four of us – Mike, Amanda, Katy and me – went to the conference last week.

Mr. M. glanced surreptitiously at his watch – his gold, diamond-encrusted watch – and suggested the meeting might adjourn for the day.

If you need something, call my assistant – Catherine, not Margaret – and she’ll help you.

Materialism – always wanting something more, something different – is good for the economy but bad for the soul.

The question words – who, what, when, where, why, and how – used to retrieve information in English.