When a sentence begins with an independent clause and ends with a list, you can use a colon between the clause and the list. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons⁠—in each case to slightly different effect. Em dashes are especially common in informal writing, such as personal emails or blogs, but it’s best to use them sparingly when you are writing formally. It’s the longest of the dashes, and it signals a disruption in the sentence’s flow. Conversely, use a shorter en dash to indicate a range of … The En Dash . The long dash is the widest of the three horizontal marks that may be used in the middle of a sentence. If you're a Mac user, congratulations: you basically only need to read the next sentence. On a PC, you can use an Emoji keyboard or type the "Alt Code," Alt + 0151. An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence: Thousands of children—like the girl in this photograph—have been left homeless. In-Sentence Lists. Unlike an em dash, an en dash has a smaller number of appropriate uses. The em-dash is the most versatile—and the most abrupt—punctuation mark a writer can use. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through.” Replace colons or semicolons You can also use em dashes instead of … When to use an … The em dash, aka possibly the most adaptable and intuitive punctuation mark there is, gets a lot of love—and the occasional bit of hate. Surrounding punctuation should be placed as usual. Place the text cursor after the Em dash or En dash, then press the Backspace. Mac: Keyboard: Alt/Option + Shift + Hyphen Menu: Edit > Special Characters > Punctuation > Em Dash Windows: Keyboard: Alt+Ctrl+ – (minus on num pad) Alt+ 0151 Autoformat: type a word, then two hyphens together, then another word. The en dash is neglected by many writers except as a substitute for an em dash, and even then it is increasingly replaced with a hyphen to mark a pause or parenthesis, especially online and, less commonly, in print journalism. It’s the longest of the dashes, and it signals a disruption in the sentence’s flow. … However, despite its flexibility, it can only be used at most twice in a sentence for best use. Note that when dashes are used in place of parentheses, surrounding punctuation should be omitted. Home The em dash is used to The em dash keyboard shortcut differs depending on if you're using a Mac or PC. It is significantly longer than the hyphen.We use the em dash to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence. Em dash shortcut 3 (Mac): If you are on mac, below is a shortcut to help you type the em dash sign in Word. Em dashes set apart parenthetical phrases or clauses in a sentence.In this use, em dashes are similar to commas and parentheses, but there are subtle differences.For example, em dashes are used when a parenthetical remark contains an internal comma or would otherwise sound awkward if enclosed by commas. The above shortcuts are all valid ways you can use to type the em dash in Word. The em-dash exists in the Wild West of grammar—the only rule is that you shouldn’t overuse it. The en dash is used to indicate a range between two terms. in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence: to show other kinds of break in a sentence where a. If you want to include the parenthetical content more subtly, use parentheses. Many other style guides opt not to add the spaces. The em dash is typically used without spaces on either side, and that is the style used in this guide. Although colons and commas can serve the same function, em dashes create a more … Make an em dash or en dash with a keyboard shortcut. When you’re thinking about when to use an em dash, remember that it’s used for emphasis. This will insert the em dash symbol into your Word document. A hyphen should not be used in place of a dash… The em dash is typically used without spaces on either side, and that is the style used in this guide. An em dash (or em dashes) can be used in a number of situations to increase clarity or give emphasis to certain words. Dr Lisa Lines explains how to use this punctuation mark correctly. Use the em dash to indicate an interruption or an abrupt change in thought. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. Finally, you can use em dashes as an alternative to parenthesis. After three weeks on set, the cast was fed up with his direction⁠—or, rather, lack of direction. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Most newspapers, however, set the em dash off with a single space on each side. For example, F. Scott Fitzgerald uses one in The Great Gatsby to show an interruption in train of thought: … Em dashes can be used to emphasize important or essential information midsentence or at the end of sentences. To Include Parenthetical Information. Those marks serve different purposes and are further explained in other sections. A pair of em dashes can replace a pair of parentheses. 3. Most newspapers — and all that follow AP style — insert a … On the other hand, they can substitute missing information or missing parts of a word. Instead, you’ll need to use a shortcut. If you are using a typewriter, a pair of hyphens is the closest you can get to an em dash. Em dashes are used to indicate a pause or an emphasis. How To Use The Em Dash Few punctuation marks are as divisive as the em dash. Plan to spend 4–6 hours climbing the mountain. 2. And of course, some of the best em dash examples exist in the world of literature. Thousands of children—like the girl in this photograph—have been left homeless. Are You Learning English? Place em dashes around non-essential information or a list in the middle of a sentence, like you would with commas. When the list comes first, it’s better to use a dash to connect the list to the clause. The sentence would still be a complete, coherent sentence without the appositive — The em dashes here act as an interruption. The white sand, the warm water, the sparkling sun⁠—this is what brought them to Fiji. Writers can use this long, horizontal line in place of commas, parentheses, colons, and the semicolon. If you want to include a snippet of extra information in your sentence, you can put said info in the middle of two em dashes. When you get to the information contained between the em … If you … Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen. To produce one in Microsoft Word, simply insert two hyphens between a pair of words without a space. Unfortunately, the em-dash — and the en-dash (–) for that matter — is not popular enough to deserve its own place on the keyboard. When you click the space bar, the hyphens become an em dash. Example: Student exchange programmes (especially those with an international focus) are a great opportunity for young students. On Windows it's...less simple: you need to use an alt code to get an em dash. Punctuation Types of dash. To do a search and/or replace, the code ^= represents the en dash. Make sure not to confuse dashes with shorter hyphens (-), which are used to combine words (as in well-behaved or long-running). Note that there is no space added on either side of an em dash. To put it simply: The hyphen is shortest of all and is used to connect multiple words that work together as a single concept: My mother-in-law is a stickler for proper punctuation.. An en dash is used for ranges: It's hard to figure out your life path from 18–22!. The hyphen, em dash and en dash crop up all the time while you’re using Microsoft Word, but most of us don’t know why and we use the different dashes inconsistently.
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