Which sentence uses a dash to show an abrupt interruption?

Which sentence uses a dash to show an abrupt interruption?

• A. "I was going to call you."
• B. "I was going to, well, call you."
• C. "I was going to; well, call you."
• D. "I was going to—well, you know—call you."

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is how a dash shows an abrupt interruption in thought. When the writer uses a dash, the sentence is interrupted by a quick, striking aside, then the main idea resumes after the interruption. In the sentence with the dashes, the speaker starts to say “I was going to” but is cut off by the interjected “well, you know,” which is set off by dashes. The reader experiences a sudden break in the flow, as if the speaker interrupting their own sentence, before finishing with “call you.” The dash makes that abrupt shift feel immediate and emphasized. The other options don’t use that same effect. A plain period simply ends the thought cleanly with no interruption. A comma with the interjection “well” creates a mild aside but doesn’t signal a sharp break in the sentence’s flow. The semicolon links two related thoughts more formally, but it doesn’t convey an abrupt interruption in the middle of a sentence.

The idea being tested is how a dash shows an abrupt interruption in thought. When the writer uses a dash, the sentence is interrupted by a quick, striking aside, then the main idea resumes after the interruption. In the sentence with the dashes, the speaker starts to say “I was going to” but is cut off by the interjected “well, you know,” which is set off by dashes. The reader experiences a sudden break in the flow, as if the speaker interrupting their own sentence, before finishing with “call you.” The dash makes that abrupt shift feel immediate and emphasized.

The other options don’t use that same effect. A plain period simply ends the thought cleanly with no interruption. A comma with the interjection “well” creates a mild aside but doesn’t signal a sharp break in the sentence’s flow. The semicolon links two related thoughts more formally, but it doesn’t convey an abrupt interruption in the middle of a sentence.