Placing a dash in sentences. Using a dash in a simple and complex sentence

The Russian language is large and complex. One of the reasons for the difficulty of learning the Russian language is the flexibility of its grammatical structures. Remembering the entire set of rules for placing punctuation marks is an almost impossible task even for those who consider Russian their native language. One of the most difficult punctuation marks to place is the usual dash.

Rules for placing dashes

The following rules describe when to use a dash in a sentence (examples in parentheses to illustrate the rules). So, in what cases is a dash placed:

Between the predicate and the subject, if the predicate is a noun and is used in the nominative case. (A wolf is an animal. A good car is a man’s dream.) If the predicate is accompanied by the particle not, then the dash is omitted. (A car is not a luxury.);
Between the predicate and the subject, if the subject is in the nominative case and the predicate is an indefinite form of the verb, or they are both verbs of an indefinite form. (The dream is to live forever. To sleep is not to drag bags.);
A dash is placed before “this” if this word joins the predicate to the subject. This rule applies to the words “this is”, “here”, “this means” (Lion is a beast. Flying is a worthy dream.);
Before generalizing words after enumerations. (Eye, nose, mouth - everything is on the face. Neither tears, nor prayer - nothing touched him.);
Before the application, if it is at the end of the sentence. (He wanted one thing - money and only money.);
Between a pair of predicates or sentences, if in the second there is a sharp contrast or unexpected addition to the first. (I came - and everyone was already here! I wanted to drink - I dropped the glass.);
Between sentences or words joined without conjunctions to emphasize sharp contrasts. (Not the water in that cup - the nectar of the gods.);
Between sentences, if the second contains a conclusion from the first or a result and is not connected by a conjunction. (The palm itches - there will be money. Fingers in the socket - an electric shock.);
Between the subordinate and main clauses, if the main clause comes second and is not joined by a conjunction. (The forest is being cut down - the chips are flying.);
Where simple sentences split into two groups of words, if this cannot be expressed in any other way. (The enemy is in dust! And the sergeant is given a medal “For Courage.”);
In the middle of the sentence, two dashes highlight explanations and additions if the selection in brackets reduces the expressiveness of the text. (And Pakhomych - a rare bastard and a weasel - did not come at all.);
In a sentence in the middle, two dashes highlight a common application if it is necessary to show its independence. (Behind the wall of the house - an ordinary rural five-walled house - a whole detachment was hiding.);
In the middle of the sentence, two dashes highlight a group of homogeneous members. (Usually building materials - boards, nails, logs and staples - are prepared in advance.) If such a listing is preceded by a general word, then a dash is needed only at the end. (The entire squad, namely: Petya, Vasya, Igor and Semyon, did not go to the line.);
After a comma, when it is necessary to separate the main clause from a group of subordinate clauses and emphasize the breakdown of the whole into parts. (Whether the world will end or not, no one knows.);
After the comma, when you need to indicate an increase or decrease in the period. (People fly into space, harness atomic energy, write brilliant music, create unprecedented structures - but you don’t take out the trash!);
Between words, if these words limit a spatial, temporal or quantitative interval. (Flight Ankara - Yerevan. Break 5-7 minutes.);
Between the components of the name of the doctrine or scientific institutions. (Bio-Savart-Laplace law.);

As you can see, there are quite a lot of rules explaining when a dash is placed, and not all cases when this punctuation mark can be used are even listed here. Also, information on which sentences contain a dash can be found in the article “Why is a dash needed?”

Dash or colon

When writing, people often confuse when to use a dash and when to use a colon. As a rule, a colon is placed before an enumeration preceded by a generalizing word; before direct speech; before two or more sentences not connected by conjunctions, one of which explains the other.

Punctuation

Dash

§ 164. A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate, expressed by a noun in the nominative case (without a connective). This rule is most often applied when the predicate defines the concept expressed by the subject, for example:

Note 1. If before the predicate, expressed noun in the nominative case, there is a negation Not , then the dash is not placed, for example:

Poverty is not a vice.

Note 2. In an interrogative sentence with the main member expressed by a pronoun, a dash is not placed between the main members, for example:

Who is your father?

§ 165. A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate if the subject is expressed in the nominative form of the noun, and the predicate in the indefinite form, or if both of them are expressed in the indefinite form, for example:

Belinsky

§ 166. A dash is placed before this, this is, this means, here , if the predicate, expressed by a noun in the nominative case or indefinite form, is attached to the subject through these words, for example:

Lenin

Belinsky

§ 167. A dash is placed before the generalizing word after the listing, for example:

Krylov

Zhukovsky

§ 168. A dash is placed before the application at the end of the sentence:

1. If you can insert it before the application without changing the meaning namely , For example:

Turgenev

Herzen

Dobrolyubov

2. If the application contains explanatory words and it is necessary to emphasize the shade of independence of such an application, for example:

Lermontov

§ 169. A dash is placed between two predicates and between two independent clauses if the second of them contains an unexpected addition or sharp contrast to the first, for example:

Herzen

Pushkin

Griboyedov

Lermontov

Note 1. To enhance the connotation of surprise, a dash can be placed after coordinating conjunctions connecting two parts of one sentence, for example:

M. Gorky

Note 2. To express surprise, any part of a sentence can be separated by a dash, for example:

Krylov

§ 170. A dash is placed between two sentences and between two homogeneous members of a sentence, connected without the help of conjunctions, to express sharp contrasts, for example:

Derzhavin

Proverb

Krylov

§ 171. A dash is placed between sentences not connected by conjunctions if the second sentence contains a result or conclusion from what is said in the first, for example:

Krylov

Nekrasov

§ 172. A dash is placed between two sentences if they are related in meaning as a subordinate clause (in first place) with the main clause (in second place), but there are no subordinating conjunctions, for example:

Saltykov-Shchedrin

§ 173. A dash is placed to indicate the place where a simple sentence splits into two verbal groups, if this cannot be expressed by other punctuation marks or word order, for example:

Chekhov

Such a breakdown is often observed when some member of a sentence is omitted (which is why the dash placed in this case is called elliptical), for example:

A. N. Tolstoy

Zhukovsky

§ 175. A dash is placed as an additional sign after a comma before a word, which is repeated in order to connect with it a new sentence (usually a subordinate clause, reinforcing, supplementing or developing the main clause) or a further part of the same sentence, for example:

L. Tolstoy

§ 176. A dash is placed as an additional sign after a comma, which separates the main sentence from the group of subordinate clauses preceding it, if it is necessary to emphasize the division of a single whole into two parts, for example:

Krylov

Dobrolyubov

§ 177. A dash is placed as an additional decimal place to indicate a transition from increase to decrease in a period, for example:

Pushkin

In the 1800s, at a time when there were no railroads, no highways, no gas, no stearin light, no springy low sofas, no furniture without varnish, no disillusioned young men with glass, no liberal female philosophers, nor the lovely lady camellias, of which there are so many in our time - in those naive times when, leaving Moscow for St. Petersburg in a cart or carriage, they took with them a whole home-cooked kitchen, drove for eight days along a soft, dusty or dirty road and they believed in Pozharsky cutlets, in Valdai bells and bagels - when tallow candles burned on long autumn evenings, illuminating family circles of twenty and thirty people, at balls wax and spermaceti candles were inserted into candelabra, when furniture was placed symmetrically, when our fathers were still young not only because of the absence of wrinkles and gray hair, but they shot at women and from the other corner of the room rushed to pick up accidentally and not accidentally dropped handkerchiefs, our mothers wore short waists and huge sleeves and solved family matters by taking out tickets when the lovely camellia ladies were hiding from daylight - in the naive times of the Masonic lodges, Martinists, Tugendbund, in the times of the Miloradovichs, Davydovs, Pushkins - in the provincial city of K. there was a congress of landowners, and the noble elections ended.

L. Tolstoy

§ 178. A dash is placed between two words to indicate spatial, temporal or quantitative limits (in this case, the dash replaces the meaning of the word “from... to”), for example:

§ 179. A dash is placed between two or more proper names, the totality of which is called a doctrine, scientific institution, etc., for example:

Physical law of Boyle - Mariotte.

Lists allow you to beautifully structure the text, focus the reader’s attention on something, highlight an important idea, in a word, their use in an article is good. But one small thing remains: competent design. Let's deal with punctuation marks and other difficulties.

Most often, consistency is broken. Each listing item must be in the same gender, case and number, and also agree with the generalizing word before the list. For example, it is incorrect:

washing, brushing teeth,
make the bed
cooking breakfast,
to drink coffee.

It's more correct like this:

What to do in the morning before going to work:

wash your face, brush your teeth,
make the bed,
Make a breakfast,
to drink coffee.

So, remember to ask one question per point and check for grammatical consistency.

How to label list elements?

Our exchange functionality offers two options: numbered and bulleted lists. However, there are three options for dividing multi-level lists:

the highest level is indicated by a capital letter with a dot or a Roman numeral with a dot (I. or A.);
middle level - Arabic numeral with a dot (1.);
the lowest level - with a marker, a lowercase letter with a bracket or a number with a bracket (a), 1), etc.).

Accordingly, if you want to introduce a multi-level list into an article, it will look something like this:

We love spring for many reasons:

Everything really comes to life:

nature,
birds.

You can finally get your favorite things:

light jackets,
sneakers.

Which letter should you start listing items with: lowercase or capital?

Essentially, the same rules of punctuation apply to the design of lists as to regular sentences. If an enumeration item is preceded by a number or a dotted letter, it must begin with a capital letter, like a new sentence. For example:

My plans for today were simple:

Get a good night's sleep.
Order from your nearest food delivery service for the whole day.
Invite a friend over to watch a movie.

Also, if the clauses are separate sentences rather than parts of one, then each clause will begin with a capital letter and end with a period (more on this below).

What punctuation mark should I put before a list?

The list may be preceded by a period or colon.Colon– after a generalizing word or phrase indicating what follows next, i.e. the offer will be divided. A colon may be used if the elements begin with a capital letter.In other cases, a period is put. For example:

I really wanted to do two things today:

go to a concert
sleep peacefully.

Punctuation marks after listing items

At the end of each enumeration element is placed:

— dot– if parts of the list are separate sentences. And, as mentioned above, each paragraph begins with a capital letter;

Example . St. Petersburg is a wonderful city!

White nights are filled with romance.
The drawbridges are fascinating.
Many architectural monuments.

— comma– if the list elements are simple, i.e. consist of one or more words, begin with a lowercase letter, and do not contain punctuation marks inside. However, it is permissible to format such clauses with a semicolon;

Example . Options for getting to the city:

train,
airplane,
hitch-hiking.

— semicolon– if the listing items begin with a lowercase letter, there are punctuation marks inside them, several sentences are included in one item.

Example – this enumeration list.

1. A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate in the absence connectives, if both main members of the sentence are expressed nouns in the nominative case,

For example: Moscow is capital of Russia. The gathering place is the parade ground (Sholokhov).

Usually, a dash is placed:

1) in sentences that have the nature of a logical definition ,

For example: Geology is the science of the structure, composition, history of the earth's crust;
2) in sentences of a scientific or journalistic style containing a characteristic, assessment of an object or phenomenon,

For example: Life is a special form of movement of matter that arises at a certain stage of its development;
3) after homogeneous subjects,

For example: Flattery and cowardice are the worst vices (Turgenev); Space and time are the basic forms of all existence;
4) to clarify the meaning of a sentence;

compare: The elder brother is my teacher; My older brother is a teacher.

A dash is usually not placed, although the subject and predicate are expressed in the nominative case of the noun:

A) in simple sentences of conversational style of speech,

For example: My sister is a student;

b) if there are comparative conjunctions between the subject and the predicate as if, as if, exactly, all the same, all the same, kind of like and so on.,

For example: Pond like shiny steel (Fet); You are like a white dove among sisters among gray, simple pigeons (Nekrasov); Your brooch looks like a bee (Chekhov); The houses of the city are like piles of dirty snow (Gorky).

Deviations from this rule are associated with the author’s desire to emphasize the connotation of comparison contained in the predicate,

For example: Silence is like a piece of ice, you can break it further with a whisper (Leonov); Your speeches are like a sharp knife... (Lermontov); ...Such a phrase is like a grand helmet in a jumbled mess (Turgenev);

V) if the predicate is preceded by a negation Not,

For example: This officer is no match for you... (Fedin); Analogy is not proof. Compare proverbs and sayings: The word is not a sparrow: if it flies out, you won’t catch it; Poverty is not a vice; The heart is not a stone.

But a dash is placed if it aims to logically and intonationally emphasize the predicate,

For example: But an explanation is not an excuse (Gorky); “Human blood is not water” (Stelmakh); Living life is not a field to cross (proverb);

G) if between the subject and the predicate there is an introductory word, adverb, conjunction, particle,

For example: ...The goose is known to be an important and sensible bird (Turgenev).

Compare the presence or absence of a dash depending on the specified conditions:

Cotton is the most important industrial crop. – Cotton, as is known, is the most important industrial crop (introductory combination inserted).
Cinema is the most popular art form. – Cinema is still the most popular form of art (adverb inserted).
Kok-sagyz is a rubber plant. – Kok-sagyz is also a rubber planter (a conjunction is inserted).
December is the beginning of winter. – December is just the beginning of winter (particle inserted);

d) if the predicate is preceded by an inconsistent minor member related to itoffers,

For example: Stepan is our neighbor... (Sholokhov);

e) if the predicate precedes the subject,

For example: A wonderful person, Ivan Ivanovich! (Gogol).

The placement of a dash in this case emphasizes the intonational division of the sentence into two compounds,

For example: Nice people are my neighbors! (Nekrasov); The good side is Siberia! (Bitter); Psychological curiosity - my mother (Chekhov);

b) if the subject in combination with the predicate forms an indecomposable phraseological phrase,

For example: A theory that fixes only patterns is worthless (S. Golubov).

2. A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate if both of them are expressed by the indefinite form of the verb or if one of the main members of the sentence is expressed by the nominative case of a noun, and the other by the indefinite form of the verb.

For example: To teach a scientist is only to spoil him (proverb); Our duty is to defend the fortress until our last breath... (Pushkin).

3. A dash is placed before the words this, this is, this means, this means, adding the predicate to the subject.

For example: The Kremlin is a treasury of Russian architecture, the creation of great masters, a living chronicle of centuries-old history (From newspapers). All the past, present and future are us, and not the blind force of the elements (Gorky).

Compare: The latest autumn is when the mountain ash shrivels from frost and becomes, as they say, “sweet” (Prishvin)(the whole sentence acts as the predicate).

4. A dash is placed if both main members of the sentence are expressed by the nominative case of a cardinal numeral or if one of them is expressed by the nominative case of a noun, and the other by a numeral or a phrase with a numeral.

For example: So, nine forty is three hundred and sixty, right? (Pisemsky); Ursa Major - seven bright stars; The specific gravity of gold is 19.3 g/cm3.

In specialized literature, when characterizing an object, a dash is often not placed in this case, for example, The melting point of gold is 1064.4?; The crane's lifting capacity is 2.5 tons, boom clearance is 5 m.

5. A dash is placed between the subject, expressed by the infinitive form of the verb, and the predicate, expressed by the predicative adverb ending in -o, if there is a pause between the main members of the sentence,

For example: Preparing for exams is not so easy (Fedin); Giving in is shameful (V. Tendryakov); It’s very unbearable to move (Goncharov).
But (in the absence of a pause): It is very easy to judge a person in disgrace (L. Tolstoy).

6. A dash is placed before the predicate, expressed phraseological phrase,

For example: Both a woman and a man are a pair of nickels (Chekhov); And the porch - God forbid another prince... (A.N. Tolstoy).

7. With a subject expressed by the pronoun this, a dash is placed or not depending on the logical selection of the subject and the presence or absence of a pause after it.

Compare:
A) This is the beginning of all beginnings; This is the actress's first performance; This is loneliness (Chekhov);
b) This is the house of Zverkov (Gogol); This is a net for catching quails (Chekhov); This is a very difficult problem.

8. A dash is usually not placed if the subject is expressed by a personal pronoun and the predicate by the nominative case of the noun,

For example: ...I am an honest person and never give compliments (Chekhov); I am terribly glad that you are my brother (L. Tolstoy); He is corruption, he is the plague, he is the plague of these places (Krylov).

In this case, a dash is placed when contrasting or when logically emphasizing the predicate,

For example: You are an old child, a theorist, and I am a young old man and a practitioner... (Chekhov); I am a manufacturer, you are a shipowner... (Gorky); Not I, not I, but you are the harmful element (Fedin).

9. A dash is not placed if one of the main members of the sentence is expressed by an interrogative-relative pronoun, and the other by a noun in the nominative case or a personal pronoun,

For example: Tell me who your friend is and I will tell you who you are.

10. As a rule, a dash is not placed if the predicate is expressed by an adjective, pronominal adjective, or prepositional-nominal combination.

For example: She has a very kind heart, but a bad head (Turgenev); My cherry orchard! (Chekhov). The shark’s back is dark blue, and its belly is dazzling white (Goncharov).

Placing a dash in these cases aims to break down the sentence intonationally and facilitate the perception of its content,

For example: The pupils are cat-like, long... (Sholokhov); The height near the scattered houses of the farm is commanding... (Kazakevich).

11. In footnotes, a dash separates the word being explained from the explanation, regardless of the form of expression of the predicate.

For example: Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty and wealth in Indian mythology; Apis is considered a sacred animal by the ancient Egyptians.

A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate, expressed by a noun in the nominative case (without a connective). This rule is most often applied when the predicate defines the concept expressed by the subject, for example:

Oak is a tree.

Optics is a branch of physics.

Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Baku are the largest cities of the USSR.

The elder brother is my teacher.

My older brother is a teacher.

Note 1. If a predicate expressed by a noun in the nominative case is preceded by a negation Not, then the dash is not placed, for example:

Poverty is not a vice.

Note 2. In an interrogative sentence with the main member expressed by a pronoun, there is no dash between the main members, for example:

A dash is placed between the subject and the predicate if the subject is expressed in the nominative form of the noun, and the predicate in the indefinite form, or if both of them are expressed in the indefinite form, for example:

The purpose of each person is to develop in himself everything human, common and to enjoy it.

Belinsky

Living life is not a field to cross.

A dash is placed before This, it is there, this means, Here, if the predicate, expressed by a noun in the nominative case or indefinite form, is attached to the subject through these words, for example:

Communism is Soviet power plus electrification of the entire country.

Poetry is the fiery gaze of a young man, seething with an excess of strength.

Belinsky

Romanticism was the first word that announced the Pushkin period; nationality is the alpha and omega of the new period.

Belinsky

A dash is placed before the generalizing word after the listing, for example:

Hope and the swimmer - the whole sea swallowed up.

Neither the crow of a rooster, nor the sonorous hum of horns, nor the early chirping of a swallow on the roof - nothing will call the deceased out of their graves.

Zhukovsky

A dash is placed before the application at the end of the sentence:

If you can insert it before the application without changing the meaning namely, For example:

I don't really like this tree - aspen.

Turgenev

In relations with strangers, he demanded one thing - maintaining decency.

Paying tribute to his time, Mr. Goncharov also developed an antidote to Oblomov - Stolz.

Dobrolyubov

If the application contains explanatory words and it is necessary to emphasize the shade of independence of such an application, for example:

I had a cast iron kettle with me - my only joy in traveling around the Caucasus.

Lermontov

A dash is placed between two predicates and between two independent clauses if the second of them contains an unexpected addition or sharp contrast to the first, for example:

I went out onto the terrace, not wanting to offend him, and was stunned.

I rush there - and the whole city is already there.

I wanted to travel around the whole world, but I didn’t travel a hundredth part.

Griboyedov

I wanted to paint, but my brushes fell out of my hands. I tried to read, but his eyes glanced over the lines.

Lermontov

Note 1. To enhance the sense of surprise, a dash can be placed after coordinating conjunctions connecting two parts of one sentence, for example:

Ask for payment on Saturday and march to the village.

M. Gorky

I really want to go there and meet them, but I’m afraid.

M. Gorky

Note 2. To express surprise, any part of a sentence can be separated by a dash, for example:

And they threw the pike into the river.

And she ate the poor singer to pieces.

A dash is placed between two sentences and between two homogeneous members of a sentence, connected without the help of conjunctions, to express a sharp contrast, for example:

I am a king - I am a slave, I am a worm - I am a god.

Derzhavin

It's no wonder to cut off a head - it's no wonder to add it.

Proverb

This is not where they live - it's paradise.

A dash is placed between sentences not connected by conjunctions if the second sentence contains a result or conclusion from what is said in the first, for example:

Praise is tempting - how can you not want it?

The sun has risen and the day begins.

Nekrasov

A dash is placed between two sentences if they are related in meaning as a subordinate clause (in first place) with the main clause (in second place), but there are no subordinating conjunctions, for example:

Gruzdev called himself get in the body.

The forest is being cut down and the chips are flying.

You yourself are confused - unravel yourself; If you knew how to brew porridge, you also knew how to dissolve it; If you like to ride, you also like to carry sleds.

Saltykov-Shchedrin

A dash is placed to indicate the place where a simple sentence splits into two verbal groups, if this cannot be expressed by other punctuation marks or word order, for example:

I ask you: do workers need to be paid?

Such a breakdown is often observed when some member of a sentence is omitted (which is why the dash placed in this case is called elliptical), for example:

Pustoroslev for faithful service - the Chizhov estate, and Chizhov - to Siberia forever.

A. N. Tolstoy

We turned villages into ashes, cities into dust, swords into sickles and plows.

Zhukovsky

Everything obeys me, but I obey nothing.

The following are highlighted by dashes:

Sentences and words inserted into the middle of a sentence to clarify or supplement it, in cases where bracketing would weaken the connection between the insertion and the main sentence, for example:

There is nothing to do here - the friends kissed.

...When suddenly - lo and behold! oh shame! - the oracle spoke nonsense.

Only once—and even then at the very beginning—an unpleasant and harsh conversation took place.

Furmanov
A common application, placed after a qualifying noun, if it is necessary to emphasize the shade of independence of such an application, for example:

The senior constable - a brave elderly Cossack with stripes for long-term service - gave the command to “form up”.

In front of the doors of the club - a wide log house - workers with banners were waiting for the guests.
A group of homogeneous members standing in the middle of a sentence, for example:

Usually, Cossacks were taken from the upper villages - Elanskaya, Veshenskaya, Migulinskaya and Kazanskaya - into the 11-12th Army Cossack Regiments and the Ataman Life Guards.

Note. A dash is placed after a listing in the middle of a sentence if this listing is preceded by a generalizing word or words somehow.

A dash is placed as an additional sign after a comma before a word, which is repeated in order to connect with it a new sentence (usually a subordinate clause, reinforcing, supplementing or developing the main clause) or a further part of the same sentence, for example:

I knew very well that this was my husband, not some new, unknown person, but a good man - my husband, whom I knew as myself.

L. Tolstoy

Now, as a judicial investigator, Ivan Ilyich felt that all the most important, self-satisfied people, without exception, were all in his hands.

L. Tolstoy

A dash is placed as an additional sign after a comma, which separates the main sentence from the group of subordinate clauses preceding it, if it is necessary to emphasize the division of a single whole into two parts, for example:

Who is to blame and who is right is not for us to judge.

Whether Stolz did anything for this, what he did and how he did it, we don’t know.

Dobrolyubov

A dash is placed as an additional decimal place to indicate a transition from increase to decrease in a period, for example:

Oh, if it's true that in the night,
When the living rest
And moon rays from the sky
They slide onto the grave stones, -
Oh, if it's true, then what.
Silent graves are empty
I am calling the shadow, I am waiting for Leila:
To me, my friend, here, here!

In the 1800s, at a time when there were no railroads, no highways, no gas, no stearin light, no springy low sofas, no furniture without varnish, no disillusioned young men with glass, no liberal female philosophers, nor the lovely lady camellias, of which there were so many in our time, in those naive times when, leaving Moscow for St. Petersburg in a cart or carriage, they took with them a whole home-cooked kitchen, drove for eight days along a soft, dusty or dirty road and believed into Pozharsky cutlets, Valdai bells and bagels; when tallow candles burned on long autumn evenings, illuminating family circles of twenty and thirty people, at balls wax and spermaceti candles were inserted into candelabra, when furniture was placed symmetrically, when our fathers were still young not only because of the lack of wrinkles and gray hair, but they shot for women, from the other corner of the room rushed to pick up accidentally or not accidentally dropped handkerchiefs, our mothers wore short waists and huge sleeves and solved family matters by taking out tickets; when the lovely camellia ladies hid from the daylight; in the naive times of the Masonic lodges, the Martinists of the Tugendbund, in the times of the Miloradovichs, Davydovs, Pushkins, there was a congress of landowners in the provincial city of K. and the noble elections ended.

L. Tolstoy

A dash is placed between two words to indicate spatial, temporal or quantitative limits (in this case, the dash replaces the meaning of the word “from... to”), for example: