Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. “Yes, you did!”. There are specific rules for punctuating that, too: StutterThe Function of the Em Dash The em dash ( — ) is usually an alternative to another punctuation mark. Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. [Emphasis mine. Insert an em or en dash using Alt and keyboard shortcuts. The em dash is primarily used to emphasize or add additional information to a. The San Diego–Las Vegas flight is on time. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. The em dash indicates a shift in Isaac's mood. Typically I replace these special characters in a microsoft product first with replace. In doing so, the em dash acts similarly to commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses. Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Bone2pick, Dec 12, 2022. g. Perhaps a door was closed on the speaker’s face, cutting off her sentence. Type the keyboard shortcut or caret code into the Find what text box (see figure 4). AP style calls for a space on both sides of an em dash, but most other styles, including MLA and APA, omit the spaces. Should a question mark be used after an em dash that abruptly ends a sentence? Ask Question Asked 1 year, 2 months ago Modified 2 months ago Viewed 164 times 4 I looked through a number of the site's questions to find an answer to my problem. I agree that it should try to match the size of the missing word. The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. The word ellipsis comes from an ancient Greek word that means “to leave out. 89), would be to only use an em dash after a period if the period marked an abbreviation: An em dash derives its name from being the approximate width of a capital M. A hyphen (-) is the shortest “dash” and. En dashes are incredibly useful punctuation marks, used to add extra emphasis to a sentence or statement. Learn more about punctuation. Clark went to the Miami Heat – Boston Celtics game. By Jessica Bennett. It also has several uses, which we will look at below. To illustrate, I’m going to reproduce the first sentence of this paragraph, but with a semicolon:Question Marks, Exclamation Points, and Em Dashes. em-dash — Long hyphen (—) named em-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. Simply type a word, then space, then the. I use the alt code - alt+0148. A Hebrew period in a traditional serif face usually looks like a tiny tilted square (a diamond; ). Alternatively, pairs of em dashes are used to mark off additionalMy question is the same as keymap swap underscore and dash, but for Windows instead of Linux. Guion Largo o Raya – Em Dash. In English, there is no space between the word preceding the punctuation mark and the punctuation mark itself. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. It was first. When. Note that although this answer cites only CMOS, I'm fairly confident (based on experience) that most major style. It shows continuity between numbers and indicates that a multiword term is part of a compound adjective: “The conference runs January 2–3”; “The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalists were applauded. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. However, The Oxford Style Manual notes that “many British publishers use an en rule with. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to. Minus Sign: −. The word “em” is actually a typographical unit of measurement. C. These dashes differ not only in their length but also in the function they perform in a sentence. Em Dash — : ALT 0151; En Dash – : ALT 0150; Double Left Angle Quotation Mark « : ALT 0171 ; Double Right Angle Quotation Mark » : ALT 0187; Inverted Question Mark ¿ : ALT 0191; Inverted Exclamation Mark ¡ : ALT 0161; Symbol and Special Characters. Em dashes can also signal an interruption or a sudden change in the direction a writer was heading with a particular sentence. Have you a reason why you think curved brackets should be abandoned in favour of dashes in this particular example? The linked article doesn't contrast differences in availability or effect between the punctuation variants available. Example: She gave him her answer—No! Exclamation Mark (!) An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. This makes them a useful punctuation mark when we want to convey an argument or rapid back-and-forth dialogue between characters. "SAMPLE - TEXT". They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation mark, and ellipsis. Don’t be confused: punctuation can change!) Also, em dashes don’t get along with periods at all. That might be something worth fixing in case you have people with accents in their names, that are. em. C-----. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. Some authorities include a space between the uncertain word and the opening parenthesis; others omit the space (as shown in the example below). If you need to indicate that someone pauses in speech, say "John paused". Write an em dash. Em dash shortcut 3 (Mac): If you are on mac, below is a shortcut to help you type the em dash sign in Word. g. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. I know I could—and probably should—just remove the question mark, having only the em dash for separation, but then that gets rid of that question-like tone I want the reader to have. Actual output : 1993 1995 Expected output : 1993 – 1995 I have done the UTF-8 encoding in Java but still getting the same output in the excel. APPLICATION. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 1 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. INCORRECT: The score right now is 3 – 1. That doesn't change the fact that in 60 years of reading, I've never come across a trust-worthy writer using any dash directly after a comma, nor. You can also use the Alt key in combination with a sequence of numbers of insert an em dash or en dash. Example em dashes: Upon discovering the errors—all 124 of them—the publisher. This is a common editing mark and has several uses, but its primary purpose is to separate clauses and huge parts of the sentence. There are two types of dash. Yeah, it could be seen as completed, but in that case the em-dash adds a bit of expression that wouldn't be there without it. 88 Em dashes with “that is,” “namely,” “for example,” and similar expressions; 6. […] All water from the streams; dead birds were found In wells a hundred feet below the ground Such was the season when the flower bloomed. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. Follow the end quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they discover you're using the wrong term :-) Share. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does. In short: the em-dash cannot be used in Spanish like any of those English examples, except perhaps 2(a). The employee, hoping to go home early, rushed her tasks. You can use a semi-colon to separate list items when an "item" is a list in itself. ” Stutters, Stammers, and Pauses. JAWS is the most likely of the screen readers to read these kinds of punctuation marks. When a pair of em dashes sets off material ending with an exclamation point or a question mark, the mark is placed inside the dashes. And when em dashes are setting off material that requires a punctuation mark like a question mark or exclamation. A. c) He thinks that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Google Docs: Type two hyphens in a row (it will become an en dash) If you’re using Microsoft Word, you can use autoformat to create an en dash. Actual output : 1993 1995 Expected output : 1993 – 1995 I have done the UTF-8 encoding in Java but still getting the same output in the excel. However, they are meant to be used for different purposes: an en dash (–) is most often used to indicate ranges, while an em dash (—) is used to mark breaks within a sentence. Dashes are used to separate two words into statements. One to look out for: the colon. Em Dash: Length: The em dash is the longest dash. Nope, no need for spaces! In US English, there should only be a space before an em dash if it’s at the start of a sentence and after an em dash if it’s at the end of a sentence. , “fast-paced,” “shake-up,” “four-year-old,” “post-punk. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark used to connect two or more words (or parts of words) to show that they form one unit of sense—e. Treat etc. The correct use of em-dashes and ellipses. Example. Press the Spacebar. An em dash can also mark dialogue, signify an interruption, indicate a sudden break in thought, and introduce a list. Sometimes, the comma indicates a pause that would occur if the sentence were spoken aloud. At the risk of being pedantic, an ellipsis is a single symbol, not three dots. In the "Text" tab you will find the list of substitutions. They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation mark, and ellipsis. The punctuation mark should not be confused with dashes (–, —), which are. However, since interjections are not “proper” sentences, some writers prefer to attach them to a complete sentence using a comma or, if more emphasis is desired, an em dash. Consider the examples below: 3. The em is the longest in the dash suite. Waggon was preferred in British English until a century ago, 1 and it still appears occasionally, but it is fast becoming archaic. As noted, MS Word and other word processors substitute an em dash for two hyphens, whereas TeX uses three hyphens. The correct use of question and exclamation marks. An En dash is half the width of an Em dash. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. By changing the console code page to something that does support the en dash character, such as 1252, this problem may be corrected. 27, 2015. The em is the longest in the dash suite. There's no shortcut and the only way to do it on a keyboard is to type the em dash alt code (Alt + 0151) or the en dash alt code (Alt + 0150). To illustrate, I’m going to reproduce the first sentence of this paragraph, but with a semicolon: 'Break/Fold Mark'. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5′ 10″ (read: five feet and ten inches). For instance, we could use em dashes in place of commas or parentheses: One of the twins—she couldn’t tell them apart—ran to greet her. Very heavy reverse solidus. 4. After three weeks of deliberation, the jury finally reached a verdict: guilty. However, the semicolon, colon, dash, question mark, and exclamation point fall outside of the quotation marks (unless, of course, the quoted material has internal punctuation of its own). Some consider its use informal. . They also establish a relationship between words and ideas. The em dash does not mean pause. The dash kind of serves that role, because it's a very fancy actor. em. Notice in these examples, the em-dash has no spaces around it, while the en-dash does. Collingwood as Mr. It is shorter than an em-dash and longer than a hyphen. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. For your example: “Well, I thought you—” He stopped himself. The verdict was unanimous — guilty. An em-dash is used to show a break in thought—not in velocity—within a sentence (for not the greatest example). It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. It is also called a long dash or an em dash. Between independent clauses linked by a transitional expression. However, it depends on the usage and meaning. g. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. Most commonly, a dash connects an independent clause with another, with a. This type of dash is used to indicate a range, especially between numerical quantities like scores and dates. For example: (1) Em dashes can replace colons. The en dash is less well known than. The en dash is less well known than. Although en dashes look similar to hyphens, they have a specific purpose and meaning – en dashes connect words in place of the word “to” or “through”. The em dash is a more emphatic substitute for the comma, colon, or parentheses and can be used to indicate omitted words. There are two alternatives: (1) shitted, which appears about once for every instance of shat; and (2) shit, uninflected in the past tense. The em dash is even longer and is used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon for emphasis. For instance, you would render a character named Mr. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. When a pair of em dashes sets off material ending with an exclamation point or a question mark, the mark is placed inside the dashes. College communications rarely require the formal four-point ellipsis. Use an En dash as a replacement for the word ‘to’ or to denote a range of numbers. Hyphens belong to that category of punctuation marks that will hurt your brain if you think about them too hard, and, like commas, people disagree about their use in certain situations. The dash works somewhat like parentheses or commas, but it is used where a stronger punctuation is needed. But instead of eating the period, the em dash will completely bail when they’re about to meet up. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. The em dash should be used sparingly in your writing. Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. To insert an interjection in the middle of a sentence, place one em dash on both sides of the interjected phrase. parentheses. Any grammer Nazi's out there that have the answer, please do so ASAP. g. Em-dashes in Place of a Semicolon. Windows. net web application. ) You can achieve that. 🙽. AP and AMA style guides are agreed: em dash goes inside the quotes, and that's your punctuation. Ellipses for omitted material spanning two or more sentences. Question mark! Exclamation point. Press the spacebar. It can separate independent clauses. Some writers even use three or more exclamation points, lest the reader not fully grasp the significance of what is being said. ). These are the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. Commas allow for a smoother read than dashes, which interrupt the sentence to draw the reader’s attention. Examples. Em dashes, in contrast, are frequently used to signal an abrupt change, suggest a pause, or set off a clause within a sentence. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. When you type the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, no spaces should appear on either side of the punctuation mark. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. U+1F67D. Periods (), question marks, exclamation marks, and commas are used as in English. Use em-dash for denoting a break or a clarification within a sentence: “Three authors—John Grisham, Danielle Steele, John Updike—have between them written eighty-nine books. Exclamation point. Em Dash: —. “Wait!” she shouted. Incorrect. Intuition is important to survival: studies show that instinct can beat analytical thinking in a crisis. For instance, you would render a character named Mr. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. apostrophe. The most common rule when using parenthetical phrases is to use the correct punctuation mark: commas, em dash, or a pair of parentheses. Dash. Em Dash (—) An em dash is one of the three kinds of dashes that functions like a comma, a colon, or parentheses in introducing a clause. Hyphens might look like dashes, but they aren’t dashes. • Dashes are often used to introduce an. (We won’t get into the serial comma issue here. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. Some word processing programs read the two hyphens automatically as the single mark of punctuation known as an em dash, which the program will process as this: (—). This. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. 3. "Four!"Em Dash (—) Question Mark (?) Slash (/). "Three—red, white, yellow—are my favorites. These punctuation marks may fall outside of the closing quotation mark in some cases. Pre-electric typewriters normally had only the hyphen-width dash to apply to situations calling for em dashes, so the usual method in U. Hyphens might look like dashes, but they aren’t dashes. The dash ( — ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Also, "overuse of the em dash weakens the flow of material" (APA, 2020, p. Em dash —, in Windows, with the number keypad: Alt (hold)+ 0 1 5 1. 1. Parentheses diminish the importance of a phrase, while dashes enhance it. They represent something. I also tried powertoys keyboard manager Remap Shortcut, but it. First, one is longer: The em dash (—) → which is like two hyphens joined together. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. See wikipedia. ColonsFrom The Punctuation Guide : “The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. ” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. When print spacing or font types make it difficult to determine the length of the line, remember that hyphens join words and word parts together and dashes separate thoughts or ideas. Use a. Thus, an em dash in 9-point type is as long as the height of a. 4. I'd ask that proof reader what their source is for that because. In order to type an en dash on a Mac product, you can hold down the ‘Option’ and ‘-‘ keys simultaneously and an en dash ‘–’ should appear. The main reason to use an em dash is to set off an explanation or an abrupt change in thought. Example em dashes:Fun fact: The en dash is called the en rule in British English, and the em dash is called the em rule. Whether it's better to use a comma here or an em dash is another matter. Feb. In the second example below, an em dash is more common than a colon, though the use of a colon is nevertheless correct. 1. ”. Em dashes can be used in the following ways: 1. No comma is implied. Quotation marks may be used to indicate that the. An em dash is a punctuation mark used in writing to denote a break or pause. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they. Examples. As a reminder, scare quotes are used to show when a phrase is being used in an ironic or nonstandard way—or perhaps it’s not a. You would simply end the line of dialogue, have a sentence of narration, and then have a new line of dialogue, even if it's the same speaker continuing. Example Parentheses: After three weeks on set, the cast was fed up with his direction (or, rather, lack of direction). I have to warn them—no, no what am I doing? An ellipses indicates omission, which is what I think you are looking for. What ‽ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. Some authorities include a space between the uncertain word and the opening parenthesis; others omit the space (as shown in the example below). Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the. For example: It depends on one thing — trust. So I wouldn't say that the dash as an actor can perform the same roles as terminal punctuation, as periods or question marks or exclamation points, but. Option C is eliminated because there must be some punctuation for linking. En dashes have a space on either side of the dash – like this. Em dash. Punctuation Em-dash before question mark. as you would the phrase and the rest. In fiction, the em dash almost always appears with no spaces around it. . MLA doesn't touch on more than 2 subtitles; however, there is a syntax for a work with more than one title which makes use of ; or, as the delimiter, so perhaps stay away from using semicolons. This type of dash is usually used to omit a person's name or. Formally, this job is reserved for the em dash, but there is some leniency in use depending on the publisher. ” But the width of the two dashes isn’t the only thing that separates the two. 6 Dash [UEB §7. There are enough exceptions to this general rule, however, to warrant the following chart, which shows nearly all of the scenarios you are likely to face. If you're including terminal punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation mark), your speaker's sentence isn't being interrupted, so you wouldn't use em dashes at all. Em dashes are used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. When a character has a sudden change of thought while speaking, an em dash is the correct punctuation to show the break. It's a completely different use case. Picture the em dash the same width as the letter “M” and the en dash the same width as the letter “N. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. 🙽. The 3 types of dashes—hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes—often get mixed up. There is one piece of good news related to this subject, though. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes often set off descriptive or parenthetical information. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. g. In formal writing, the em dash is often used to indicate a break or interruption in a sentence. To help indicate this “cut” between the two parts, many poems use punctuation, typically an em dash (—) or an ellipsis ( . To create an em dash on a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0151 on the numberpad of the keyboard. apostrophe. Type a word. ”. 2. Translation. Em dashes are the longest of the common dashes (I won’t be covering 2-em and 3-em dashes in this article) and are so named because they are the width of the letter “m. Examples:A Quick Guide to Punctuation. FWIW, my product_codes that have a dash show as a dash (hex 2D). " I know you can replace em dashes with — and n-dashes with – (which should be done on the input side of your database); I don't know what the correct replacement for the smart quotes would be. 48 The En Dash, Numerals. Em dashes (—) are extremely versatile. Once again, the em-dash adds more emphasis than the traditional punctuation mark. The “slightly different” part is, to me, the em dash’s appeal summarized. Household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves are. En dash ( –) When connecting two words to signify a range, Chinese generally uses an en dash occupying the space of one character (e. “What space?”. 1. Your example is (almost) a perfect illustration. Wagon and waggon are different spellings of the same word meaning, among other things, a sturdy four-wheeled vehicle for transporting things. If you guessed that it’s as wide as the letter “M,” you get a gold star. Dashes and hyphens. ” No spaces on either side of the em dash. m. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. Trademark ™ : ALT 0153;There are three types of dashes in writing used to convey different ideas in an engaging way. A hyphen (-) is shorter still. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. In fiction, as in other kinds of writing, you'll still want to use the em dash to indicate. In this century, the shorter one is preferred in all main varieties of English. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. The Oxford Manual of Style once stated, “If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad. Hyphen. Em dash. 87 Em dashes for sudden breaks or interruptions; 6. Just consider the following guidelines: • Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. If the information in parentheses has a question mark or an exclamation mark, use the punctuation mark inside the parentheses only if the sentence ends with a different mark. It. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. ] There’s even more explanation: If the break belongs to the surrounding sentence rather than to the quoted material, the em dashes must appear outside the quotation marks. When it comes at the end of a list, put a comma before it if you use the serial comma and don’t if you don’t use the serial comma. 2. DASHES. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. hphen – en dash – em dash — 2-em dash —— 3-em dash ———. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. However, some style guides, such as the Associated Press. Make sure you switch on the Num Lock from the keyboard and you type the number from the Numpad and not from the top row of the keyboard. 1. It thus performs many of the same functions as commas, parentheses, and colons, but with a bit more drama—a “wait for it” tension that tends to lend emphasis to whatever it introduces. 2. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. Mabel tried, despite her dolefulness—for how could she be otherwise?—to bake her own bread but each loaf that emerged from her oven tasted vaguely of tears. If a sentence ends with quoted material, the period is placed inside the closing quotation mark, even if the period is not part of the original quotation. And an example:There are two primary types of dashes: the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). The en dash (–) → which is like a slightly longer hyphen. Technically, the mark designating feet is a prime; the mark designating inches is a double prime. The most common versions are the en dash –, generally longer than the hyphen but shorter than the minus sign; the em dash —, longer than either the en dash or the minus sign; and the. A dash is a punctuation mark that resembles a hyphen, but longer. But the most important use of dashes in dialogue is to show one speaker interrupting another. There is no piece of punctuation that means pause. If you type in two hyphens/minus without a space before or after, most word processors automatically convert it into an em dash. “I’ll come with—” In this example, the em dash indicates interrupted speech. Then, click Undo Dash. Then, after you press the space bar after the word after the dash, most word processing programs will turn those two little hyphens‐‐into an em dash—like so. Acting as a comma. To be effective, the exclamation point should be used in moderation. It looks like this: — It’s called an em dash because its width is about the same as a lower-case letter em (m). Command (⌘) + M. Signo de interrogación (Question Mark) 7. The Unicode standard introduced a separate character U+2015 ― HORIZONTAL BAR to be used as a quotation dash. W he n u sed i n pl a ce o f p a rentheses at t he end of a sentence, only a single dash is used. What is the difference between en and em dashes? The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing. The em dash is also used for denoting an incomplete speech. You’ve probably heard of hyphens and em dashes, but what about en dashes? Learn what they are and how to use them with this helpful article. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. [Emphasis mine. HTML Escape Characters. Here are some rules for how to use interrupters. 6. Parenthesis and Dashes: Correct Usage; Question Mark: Definition & Use. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. How to Create Em Dashes and En Dashes: Em dash (—) Ctrl+Alt+minus (far. It is the doppelgänger of the. It is longer than a hyphen (-) or an en dash (–). In the "Text" tab you will find the list of substitutions. An em dash can be used for the same purpose.