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Division, half-pause or pause? Check the difference

Spelling - what is it actually? This term is used frequently in German literature and it defines the rules governing the placement of characters in the text. It's not just that we have to stick to the rules or it's a mistake. Proper use and formatting of the text also makes the reception of the text much easier. Therefore, it is worth learning the basic principles of formatting, because although it may seem that they are widely known, we skip many of them on a daily basis. A correctly written and well-composed text demonstrates the professionalism of the writer and shows that he really knows his stuff. So, if you don't know what the difference between a hyphen and a half-pause is, and you're wondering why someone is removing the indentation you've made, read our text!

Basic text formatting

Let's start with the basics. If you already prepare the content, it is worth paying attention to the form. First of all, before sending the document - justify the text. The "flag" on the right side makes it difficult to pick up, and although it might seem insignificant, justifying it also helps checkers.

Important!

The shortcut for justifying text in MS Word is Ctrl + J

Also, remember to separate your new thought with a paragraph. You can separate them with a blank line or a paragraph indent. Unfortunately, a problem often arises here, and to make things easier, writers often insert a specific number of spaces or a tab instead of indenting. Indents are set in MS Word in the "Paragraph> Indents and spacing" menu. Just click on the document with the left mouse button. We will also set the appropriate line spacing there. It is not worth "nailing" the text. It is then very difficult to read or correct.

Also, don't forget to remove the double spaces. It is best to write texts with the whitespace visibility button turned on.

You will then see how many spaces you are inserting and the text will look something like this:

Double spaces can also be removed in MS Word by pressing Ctrl + G, and then the "Replace" tab. We enter two spaces and change to one. This is a quick way to get rid of unnecessary marks.

Division - what about him?

In the consciousness of many of us, there is simply a dash, a horizontal dash, which sometimes appears in the texts. Unfortunately, it is not that simple, and we even use 3 different lines in the texts. Does it matter which one we place? Of course! We can choose between a hyphen, a pause and a dash. How are they different?

The division is the shortest and we can find it on the keyboard without any problem. In turn, the pause and dash are slightly longer and we can insert them using special characters, HTML code, or a keyboard shortcut. In some fonts it is almost impossible to distinguish these three characters, but contrary to appearances, the difference is and is important.

When do we use these signs? Dywiz is the link. We write it between two-part names, surnames and other compounds. The two prefixes are also written using a hyphen (quasi- and pseudo-). The hyphen cannot be separated by spaces from words.

Example 1 - hyphen

Polanica-Zdrój

Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska

white-red, green-black

quasi-philosopher, quasi-writer

The half-pause and the pause, on the other hand, are used interchangeably today. In fact, we use half-pause more often. However, consistency is important. If we use a pause in the notation of dialogues, let us stick to it throughout the text. It is worth remembering that we always separate a pause with spaces from the words next to it. On the other hand, in the case of a half-pause, do not put spaces when it serves as a definition of intervals, eg 2005–2008 (from ... to ...).