More about Dashes Dashes Are Usually an Option, Not a Necessity For the most part, the dash does not have a unique role in grammar. It is usually used as an alternative to another punctuation mark. When used to extend a sentence, a dash can replace a semicolon (;), a colon (:), or three dots (...) used as a pause for effect. When used as parentheses, dashes are alternatives to brackets or commas.
merchants are those who travel from one place to another and feowned means barking all of this sentence means merchant barks at mothers strange instructions