2.  Be used sparingly in formal writing
 May replace commas, semicolons, colons and
parentheses
 Be used to:
 Add emphasis
 Indicate an interruption
 Show an abrupt change in thought

3.  You are the friend—the only friend—who
offered to help me.
 Never have I met such a lovely person—
before you.
 I pay the bills—she has all the fun.
 I need three items at the store—dog food,
vegetarian chili, and cheddar cheese.
 My agreement with Fiona is clear—she
teaches me French, and I teach her German.
 Please call my agent—Jessica Cohen—about
hiring me.
 I wish you would—oh, nevermind.

4.  He—my ex-boyfriend—told a fallacious story
about me, which is why we broke up.

5.  Mrs.
Lurkins informed the student, “I think
we are at an impasse—you clearly won’t
admit this paper is plagiarized.”

6. Iunderstand why you are berating me—I was
supposed to be home an hour ago.

7.  Myentire family suffered from the flu last
week. We had every symptom in the book—
nausea, stomach pains, fever, and vertigo!

8.  Tom Brady has been zealous year after year
in his pursuit of greatness. Unfortunately, so
has one other player—Eli Manning.