👉 Em dash Mac: hold down the option + shift + the hyphen keys and viola! 👉 Em dash Word: tap the minus sign twice and continue writing. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. Em-dashes. ”. I am thinking the product_code value may actually contain an -en-dash- or an -em-dash- or something other than 0x2D that is getting displayed correctly (somehow) with the combination of CubeCart, PHP, the web server and the web browser. The en dash (–) → which is like a slightly longer hyphen. However I run into a bump with special characters like curly quotes en and em dashes etc. It. However, I can't recall an em dash being used according to your first case in modern publishing. “I’ll come with—” In this example, the em dash indicates interrupted 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. . For the the complete list of the first 256 Windows ALT Codes, visit Windows ALT Codes for Special Characters & Symbols. The en-dash – so named because (you guessed it) it’s the width of the skinnier letter n – is the shorter of the two. If your teacher says not to use it then do not use it for work that is submitted to your teacher. Em-dashes in Place of a Semicolon. Em dash shortcut 3 (Mac): If you are on mac, below is a shortcut to help you type the em dash sign in Word. Although the en dash and em dash are the most commonly used types of dashes, there is another type of dash called the 3-em dash (the size of three em dashes). Most authorities, including The Chicago. Fig. A colon is quieter; a dash is more emphatic and dramatic. 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. (Check out more punctuation. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does. 90 Em dashes and line breaks; 6. Other Types of Dash. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. It doesn't. One to look out for: the colon. It can be used to separate the elements of a date: 10 septembre 1973 = 10. 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. The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He left—would you believe it?—immediately after the ball. Collingwood as Mr. This makes them a useful punctuation mark when we want to convey an argument or rapid back-and-forth dialogue between characters. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. (We won’t get into the serial comma issue here. The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought. The dash works somewhat like parentheses or commas, but it is used where a stronger punctuation is needed. 1. It probably wouldn’t get away with trying to impersonate a question mark or an exclamation point, but it can stand in for just about any of the other standard sentence marks. A dash is a break in thought, from one focus to another. Dashes are used to separate two words into statements. But in that case the dash is supposed to be the length of the omitted word, not just a mere em-dash. Share. This is largely the result of the many different ways the comma is used. If the parentheses include an exclamation or question mark: Our road trip to Florida — we love to drive to see all the sights on the way! — took three days to. Ellipsis, dash, and colon. The sixth edition recommended an unspaced em dash for these purposes. The raya (em-dash) usually indicates separation; for example, it signals interventions of. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. The en dash, often overlooked, is a punctuation mark that can be used in place of an em dash. To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. — Lo siento, no lo sabía. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. The em dash is treated like a question mark or an exclamation mark, which are both followed by the closing. The “slightly different” part is, to me, the em dash’s appeal summarized. Use to indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times or reference numbers, use an en-dash (a slightly. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. Infographic: How to use an em dash. Example em dashes: Upon discovering the errors—all 124 of them—the publisher. ”. For instance, you would render a character named Mr. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. g. When typing, a hyphen looks like this: (-). Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. The dashes are more prominent, and thus suggest a more prominent comment. -Em dashes mark an interruption or break in thought. Em dashes can be used to replace pairs of commas and parentheses. Dashes create urgency. An en dash (–), the second-longest “dash,” is used to show how a range of things in writing are related to one another. For example, don’t use a dash to begin the interrupter and a comma. Question mark. They can add more information to a sentence making it clearer and easier for the listener to imagine what is being described in detail. En-dash: An en-dash is wider than a hyphen but narrower than an em-dash. If the action is in the middle of a sentence, use em dashes outside the quotation marks. Your specific issue regards "smart quotes," "em dashes" and "en dashes. Question mark! Exclamation point. Option C is eliminated because there must be some punctuation for linking. parentheses. This means we only use one em dash instead of two when the interruption comes at. Underscore: _. Em dashes can replace ellipses to show an abrupt break in a conversation. He worked in his office-cum-dining room. Guion Largo o Raya – Em Dash. The Latin preposition cum means “combined with,” “also used as,” or “along with being. Some word processing programs read the two hyphens automatically as the single mark of punctuation known as. The em-dash would indicate something like raising the eyebrows right at the end, or tilting the head down and looking up from under the eyebrows. ) To offset additional information just like commas and. Examples. If you need to indicate that someone pauses in speech, say "John paused". If you’re looking for the answer — or just wondering what an em dash is — learn how (and when) to use an em dash correctly here. They also can be used to focus a reader or highlight tone within a dialog. It gets its name from its size which is the. ) If I run the sql statements of the stored procedure until the final select statement only, the data look fine, dash character is still a dash character. An en dash is. Em dashes are used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. How to Create Em Dashes and En Dashes: Em dash (—) Ctrl+Alt+minus (far. The employee, hoping to go home early, rushed her tasks. -->if the information being set off is at the end of the sentence, use just one em dash. Em Dash vs. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. Breaking dialogue into multiple paragraphs. On the other hand, the em-dash works in full sentences and can take the place of commas, colons, and. The most common rule when using parenthetical phrases is to use the correct punctuation mark: commas, em dash, or a pair of parentheses. as you would the phrase and the rest. You will find this material in chapters 8–12. ” The answer given does not answer his question. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. | Grammar The em dash performs a versatile function to help separate certain words from the rest of a sentence. The em dash, on the other hand, is a colorful punctuation mark — it can be used to make a strong point! The comma is great for describing, listing, and linking clauses, but it is easy for commas. 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”. If a comma is a quarter note rest, then an em dash is a half-note rest. Other times, the comma separates grammatical components of the sentence. The correct use of question and exclamation marks. Go to the system preferences and choose "Language & Text". Comments. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. paxdiablo. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). 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. En dashes are slightly shorter than an em dash and are used to connect numbers and words: 2000–2020, Paris–London, the score was 5–3. m. The conventions for dialogue allow a narrator to “interrupt” the speakers at any time and for any reason. When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. " "The sixth edition. A hyphen (-) is the shortest “dash” and. ”. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. The em dash can be used in place of commas, colons, semicolons, and parentheses to increase sentence variety and readability. Comillas españolas (Angle Quotes) and Comillas inglesas (Quotation Marks) Where to Practice Using Spanish Punctuation; Find and Correct the Mistakes in the Following. When it displays it in the application, the dash turns into a question mark !?!?!? I then have an Export button, which writes these back to a textfile. This is giving me writer's block and the paper is due tomorrow. The en-dash is commonly used to show range as in dates (e. En Dash: –. , May–December or 1995–2020) or pages (e. Em Dashes. Mingo Evil Flamingo, Feb 21, 2010 #3. Press the space bar. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. . In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, you’ll have access to the. In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. For example, “the years 2020–2022” or “the hours 9:00 a. Do not combine the dash with any mark of punctuation other than quotation marks, the question mark, the exclamation mark and occasionally the period. You can use it at the end of a broken-off phrase, or if a. The stores were filled with holiday shoppers—even more so than last year. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. The em dash, also known as the mutton dash or em rule, refers to the em. Comma. The other everyday use for em dashes—the one I use most—is to mark a break in thought within a sentence. 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). is omitted in deference to the question mark". Capitalization rules. ] 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. The longer EM dash is used as a break or to separate additional information in a sentence. The em dash (—) is twice as long as the en. Em dashes are used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. The em-dash emphasizes the conclusion of the sentence, but with less formality than a colon. ”. Em dashes can be used in the following ways: 1. Of course, some may prefer the HTML markup method, where they can use it. The comma is the punctuation mark most likely to cause angst. 🙽. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. Numeric Keypad: Windows allows the user to type any available character, including diacritical marks, by holding down one of the Alt keys while typing in a numeric code on the numeric keypad, if one is available. INCORRECT: The score right now is 3 – 1. Aether still appears as a poetic affectation, especially in reference to the word’s ancient Greek and Latin senses, but. The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. En Dash Examples. A hyphen makes compound words. In Google docs, use insert special character. Em dashes are compelling punctuation marks, rich with punctuation possibilities. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. Dashes and hyphens aren’t the same thing. This usage explains the dialog part of your question. There are three options: Period. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the em-dash was versatile—it can even take the place of the semicolon. Rule #5. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. Hyphen. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. Check out all the nuances of this tricky punctuation mark. Example Parentheses: After three weeks on set, the cast was fed up with his direction (or, rather, lack of direction). An em dash is a punctuation mark used to separate elements within a sentence, typically words or phrases that are too long to be separated by commas or need a dramatic pause during reading. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. g. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. It’s a long dash, the length of two connected hyphens. 1973. Sometimes, a character might stutter or stammer over certain words. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the em-dash was versatile—it can even take the place of the semicolon. 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. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. You can use a semi-colon to separate list items when an "item" is a list in itself. We use ellipses to indicate omissions of words, phrases, or even whole sentences. Being so versatile can create confusion if overused, therefore it is best limited to two appearances per sentence. In English writing, quotation marks or inverted commas, also known informally as quotes, talking marks, speech marks, quote marks, quotemarks or speechmarks, are punctuation marks placed on either side of a word or phrase in order to identify it as a quotation, direct speech or a literal title or name. The – is called an en dash. "Three—red, white, yellow—are my favorites. The president’s speech both began and ended with the word “freedom. the question mark. The em dash (—) is a versatile punctuation mark used to enhance the readability and clarity of written text. If your style guide calls for spaces around a dash, you use a different character altogether, the "en-dash. Punctuation Em-dash before question mark. The hyphen is used to connect words, such as in compound adjectives or to divide words at the end of a line. 1. An em dash is longer than the en. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to. Actually, the rules are fairly set on spaces before or after an "em-dash" -- you don't use them. hphen – en dash – em dash — 2-em dash —— 3-em dash ———. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. An em is simply a unit of measurement within the field of typography. [Emphasis mine. It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. 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. Feb. An en dash is denoted as (–) Em dashes are longer than hyphens, but shorter than em dashes. Then, click Undo Dash. Consider the examples below: 3. In Word, you’ll hold down Shift+ Option+minus rather than the Ctrl+Alt+minus mentioned above. Esempi: When the course finally started — nearly two months after it was organized — the student could not attend. The Manual of Style explains the differences between the hyphen and four types of dashes. You will only be tested on the rules of the em dash, which is what we’ll cover here. Type a word. 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. In English, there is no space between the word preceding the punctuation mark and the punctuation mark itself. Character encoding is a link between the visual representation of a character (like a registration mark or em-dash) and the bytes that store them in memory. 9. Note: An en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen. It is the doppelgänger of the. In formal writing, the em dash is often used to indicate a break or interruption in a sentence. College communications rarely require the formal four-point ellipsis. They are useful for emotionally-loaded dialogue interruption, because emotions act quickly on the brain. [Emphasis mine. En Dash Examples. Always put commas and periods inside the quote. In AP style, the dash should be set off with spaces on both sides. 1月—7月 "January to July", which can also be written 1月到7月, with the character 到 in place of the dash). Examples. These, along with the other 12, are all listed neatly and explained for you here. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. En dash ( –) When connecting two words to signify a range, Chinese generally uses an en dash occupying the space of one character (e. In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). Writers have three choices of punctuation to set off sentence interrupters—commas, parentheses, and em dashes. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. To show a break in narration or conversation in place of an ellipsis. Press the Spacebar. answered Jul 7, 2010 at 7:53. 4. The main difference between them is that at least some. The final, foolproof way to type an em dash in Word is to go to the. In sentence case, lowercase most words in a title or heading. To be effective, the exclamation point should be used in moderation. 6 Dash [UEB §7. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. ". quotation mark. ColonsFrom The Punctuation Guide : “The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. The dash ( — ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. You did not tell us which hyphen you use, see answer from MT0. The em dash performs a versatile function to help separate certain words from the rest of a sentence. FWIW, my product_codes that have a dash show as a dash (hex 2D). In HTML, XHTML, or XML, you can use a character escape to represent any Unicode character using only ASCII letters. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. Learn how to use em dashes in a sentence with these examples and best practices. Note: When the second clause expands on or explains the first, the colon is the better mark. Example. S. Hold down the left. You create an em-dash by typing two hyphens, and most word processing programs will tie them automatically into the longer dash. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect. 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. EM-DASH (–) – with this punctuation mark, you can introduce an explanation or specification, make a break in thought, or separate two parts of the sentence. g. The space needed after these punctuation marks is proportioned automatically. How to implement sentence case. It can have a couple of uses, but it’s most commonly used in representing a range of numbers. Here are the code points for the Unicode dashes that are of the Common script, along with their general categories. eg What would be more gratifying than being able to help a child in the use of what Vygotsky considered one of man’s greatest tools? Language! I'm sure others will come to offer advice about the em-dash version, if you prefer that. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. Or simply type two hyphens one after the other, type the word that is supposed to appear after the em dash, and press Space—the hyphens magically turn into an em dash. An em dash can also mark dialogue, signify an interruption, indicate a sudden break in thought, and introduce a list. An em dash (—) is the longest of the three dashes and can be used to set off a break in the sentence, as well as add emphasis. F. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. This is a good example of when to use such as dash in a sentence. 8. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5′ 10″ (read: five feet and ten inches). 89 Em dashes with other punctuation; 6. parentheses. The different styles of dashes include the en dash “–”, the em dash “—”, and the horizontal bar “―”. These sentences can be in the form of a direct question or an indirect question. The em dashes are used here to indicate that the information within them is rather shocking. The en dash also signifies an abrupt change. In general, em dashes should be avoided in formal writing because they are often used in place of necessary punctuation, parentheses, or further explanation. 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. The em dash is also used for denoting an incomplete speech. g. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. It is used in place of ‘to’ or ‘through’. It is slightly shorter in length, visually resembling a hyphen, but with different usage. An em dash is a punctuation mark used in writing to denote a break or pause. “What space?”. This will insert the em dash symbol into your Word document. To insert an interjection in the middle of a sentence, place one em dash on both sides of the interjected phrase. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. The 2010–2011 season was our best yet. An em dash (—) is a punctuation mark. g. The em dash is used to represent how the first speaker is being interrupted by the second. 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. 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). 51). Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. It is used to indicate a range of values, such as numbers, dates, and times. Em dash: —. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. According to the Wikipedia article "Quotation mark" (section "Quotation dash"):. I have to warn them—no, no what am I doing? An ellipses indicates omission, which is what I think you are looking for. Command (⌘) + M. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. [Emphasis mine. According to CMOS, “in British usage, an en dash (with space before and after) is usually preferred to the em dash as punctuation in running text. Smart punctuation is an iOS feature that automatically. The em dash does not mean pause. It can either become: Woman: without her, man is nothing. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. To help indicate this “cut” between the two parts, many poems use punctuation, typically an em dash (—) or an ellipsis ( . It is also called a long dash or an em dash. Em dashes are rarely found in formal texts. The example I saw comes from a tweet, reproduced here for convenience: "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior—not a divine social justice warrior, not a liberation. It is wider than an en dash (–) or a hyphen (-). “I didn’t expect to — “An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. Don’t be confused: punctuation can change!) Also, em dashes don’t get along with periods at all. Clark went to the Miami Heat – Boston Celtics game. Example: “I didn’t say—”. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. As shown above, em dashes are often left unspaced when used in this way. It may be used in place of commas, a semicolon, a colon, or parentheses. style guides frequently recommend using em dashes for the purposes above, while using en dashes for ranges, etc. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. Hyphens and dashes. Household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves are. The correct use of dialogue tags. The hex number is case-insensitive,. While closely related to other dashes—like the en dash (–) and hyphen (-)—the em dash serves a unique role in typography. An ellipsis here would show a delayed change in thought and is not correct. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. ”Command for an Em dash on a mac : Shift-Option-Hyphen; Command for an Em dash on Microsoft Word : Alt + Ctrl + (minus) Em dash in HTML : — or — En Dash. 7. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing. Mac. The em dash symbol is a single, longer horizontal line — that should not be confused for an en dash - or a hyphen. . 7 p. That's it! Now, your ugly text messages at least won't break code or URLs. The em dash is a versatile mark used to define, explain, and insert material. Or. Improve this answer. Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the.