To use a - instead of a full stop or comma?

[managedmis]

Is it me, or does this give me a certain je ne sais quoi?

I've started using it in work emails, example:

Hi,

I'll send it to you shortly -

Regards,

Managed

What do we all think?

It’s not ok as a full stop. I use it frequently as a comma ahead of a subordinated clause.

Please stop.

What are you actually hoping to achieve? My answer depends on that. If you are aiming to look like 'je ne sais quoi' basic punctuation looks like then go for it. If you want to not look like a knob then don't.

It’s unreasonable for not calling it a hyphen

Je ne sais quoi is incredibly pretentious.

I would think you had really poor grammar

Ha the ‘for’ in my sentence is redundant (before anyone picks me up on it)

It just makes you look like a knob who can’t use punctuation

I'd assume there was an ant on my screen and squash it.

I think Op is winding us up, she's noticed how grammatical errors on here are jumped on!

Thanks, I hate it

(At least) (You haven't) (been) (reading too much) (Kate Atkinson), (or you) (would be using too many) (parentheses).

I do like her books, very much, but the parentheses always make me suspend my disbelief because the Inner Editor takes over.

I suspect the OP is a reverse, but that hyphen would annoy me (a lot).

I think they are more likely to think vous est un bit d'un prick

Reverse! And your colleagues sounds hilarious! Actually think I'd find him/her so annoying I'd actually warm to them!!

That's not an accurate use of - . It doesn't make any sense. It should be used like brackets to signify extra info.

In fact you are referring to the em-dash (—), which may be substituted for parentheses.

The hyphen (-) should only be used to join words or parts of words and is not interchangeable with dashes.

Personally I wouldn't, but not unreasonable as such.

LittleBearPad Use an em-dash for that purpose, not a hyphen.

I think they are more likely to think vous est un bit d'un prick

Funnily enough one of the words in French for prick is "une bite"...

Why?

I think they are more likely to think vous est un bit d'un prick brilliant

I'm obsessed with commas, so I often use - where I'd use a comma so I don't end up with have loads. Not at the end of a sentence though- that's just bonkers.

@AuroraBore. Fair point, well made! Should have been wearing my glasses. Lol

A dash is an alternative to a colon or semicolon. It can also be used in a similar way to brackets. It doesn't belong in place of a comma or full stop. Like a previous poster mentioned, that makes it look like you deleted or forgot to type something.

In email and personal or business letters I don't however expect "correct" distinction between hyphens, en dashes, em dashes, and so on. That's something only needed for professionally typeset work.

Use an em-dash for that purpose, not a hyphen.

From memory word and outlook correct it.

I think they are more likely to think vous est un bit d'un prick

Are we allowed to correct grammatical errors in French on this thread?