The doctor told me to quit smokinglong dash—immediately. vs The doctorlong dash—told me to quit smoking: immediately.

Both phrases are correct, but they have different punctuation styles. The first phrase uses a long dash (—) to indicate a sudden break or interruption in the sentence, while the second phrase uses a colon (:) to introduce a direct explanation or clarification. The choice between the two depends on the preferred punctuation style and the intended emphasis in the sentence.

Last updated: March 28, 2024 • 782 views

The doctor told me to quit smokinglong dash—immediately.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to indicate a sudden break or interruption in the sentence.

This phrase uses a long dash (—) to create emphasis and indicate an abrupt instruction or action. It is suitable for conveying a sense of urgency or immediacy in the context.

Examples:

She said, "I need you to finish the report—right now."
The teacher shouted, "Stop talking—listen to me!"
He whispered, "Don't move—there's something behind you."
The boss commanded, "Complete the task—immediately."
The coach instructed, "Run faster—don't slow down!"

Show examples from the web [+]

The doctor told me to quit smoking.
My doctor told me to quit smoking.
You told me to quit my job.
I went to see the doctor last month, he told me to quit smoking I'm getting old, can't bear with this any longer
You told me to quit, that I'd be able to find another job.
The doctors told me there were multiples.
The doctor told me not to push.
The doctor told me to rest.
The doctors told me to stay ahead of the pain.
The doctor told me to get another job.
The doctor told me... I'm still here because of you.
About 15 years ago the doctor told me my son had brain cancer.
The doctor told me your recovery is going very well.
It's OK, the doctor told me to exercise.
The doctor told me you had an interesting theory - about your mom's condition.
The doctor told me I can't go nowhere.
The doctor told me he would die in three weeks.
This is a pill the doctor told me to take.
The doctor told me you're okay.
The doctor told me what you said.

Alternatives:

the doctor told me to quit smoking immediately.
the doctor instructed me to quit smoking—right away.
the doctor advised me to quit smoking—without delay.
the doctor urged me to quit smoking—urgently.
the doctor warned me to quit smoking—promptly.

The doctorlong dash—told me to quit smoking: immediately.

This phrase is correct and commonly used to introduce a direct explanation or clarification in the sentence.

This phrase uses a colon (:) to provide a clear and direct instruction following the introduction of the speaker. It is suitable for emphasizing the immediacy of the action required.

Examples:

The chef: "Prepare the ingredients: quickly and carefully."
The manager: "Submit the report: by the end of the day."
The officer: "Follow my instructions: without hesitation."
The parent: "Clean your room: right now."
The supervisor: "Complete the task: immediately."

Alternatives:

the doctor told me to quit smoking immediately.
the doctor instructed me to quit smoking: right away.
the doctor advised me to quit smoking: without delay.
the doctor urged me to quit smoking: urgently.
the doctor warned me to quit smoking: promptly.

What Our Customers Are Saying

Our customers love us! We have an average rating of 4.79 stars based on 283,125 votes.
Also check out our 2,100+ reviews on TrustPilot (4.9).

"Thank you!"
Sachi Nakama July 2024
"I have literally been through chat, PI, claude, bard and bing and I got conflicting answers! Thank you! Human intelligence reigns!"
Retha July 2024
"Faster than AI"
CYNTHIA December 2023
"This was very helpful and I personally think this site is the best."
Kaden October 2023
"It was extremely thorough and very helpful!"
imperialelisa October 2023
"7 years without any disappointment. Always 100% satisfied. You guys are the best in the world at what you do. Thank you so much :)"
Zubair Alam October 2023
"In a world of text messages and online communication, this is great to have as a live tool. Thank you."
Selena October 2023
"Without textranch I would be stuck!"
宏祐 October 2023
"Accuracy and fast response. Personal comments from editor. Thank you."
Clh September 2023
"I wasn't aware of this service, it's fascinating and more reliable than standard IA tools available on the internet"
Arturo September 2023
"The fact that you can get reliable fast feedback on your texts."
Vinicius Antonio August 2023
"you guys are better than grammarly i'm being honest here"
ordinary July 2023
"OMG! This is really good than any other text correction tools I've used so far. Highly recommend this."
Vehan July 2023
"Very fast and accurate. thank you."
mojtaba July 2023
"I love this app because it's help to writing skills all of students ♥️"
Tarisini July 2023
"This was exactly the mistake I was looking for, the wording dind´t sound right at first. Better than grammarly!"
Ente July 2023
"The immediate help that I received was reassuring and very satisfactory. Thanks."
priiiyanshuu July 2023
"this helps A LOT for my studies."
kathnunez02 June 2023
"Woow!! I would never have expected such precision! Thank you soooo much!!"
Berta June 2023
"Real Time Editor and not AI. Many Thanks."
Priya June 2023
"The very first thing excites me about Textranch is how much your editors care."
sepideh June 2023
"The fact that texts are checked by human editors rather than by AI, etc. I appreciate this!"
Анна June 2023
"Feel welcome, immediate response, high quality feedback"
martin.roy June 2023
"This is the best app that I have ever seen"
Burulai May 2023

The doctor told me to quit smokinglong dash—immediately. vs The doctorlong dash—told me to quit​ smoking: immediately.