Question

Yo help a girl out

Read the excerpt from “The Railroad Earth.” So there I am in dawn in my dim cell——2½ hours to go till the time I have to stick my railroad watch in my jean watchpocket and cut out Within these lines, where is the most appropriate place for a pause?
A. after “dawn”
B. after “cell”
C. after “railroad”
D. after “jean”

Answer 1

Answer: B. after “cell.”

The pause in this excerpt should be placed after the word "cell," and it is indicated by an em dash (—). An em dash, or long dash, is a punctuation mark that indicates a pause. It is placed where a comma or semicolon would be traditionally used. Em dashes are common in informal writing, but should be limited in more formal texts.