It was the best idea he’d had all year -he’d buy himself a cat. In Place of a Colon or SemicolonĪn em dash can also be used in place of a colon or semicolon if you want to stress the conclusion of a sentence or signal a change of topic: If in doubt about using dashes, check your style guide and, above all, be consistent! 2. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! In contrast, British English tends to use spaced en dashes for such parenthetical statements. The parrot toy I bought yesterday - the red one with the mirror - was cheaper than I thought. However, the Associated Press Stylebook states that em dashes should be spaced, and most newspapers follow its lead: If you want to be more subtle, use parentheses.Īs in the example above, em dashes are usually written without spaces on either side. They are generally thought to be more emphatic than parentheses, so if you want to make a point, use em dashes. In this case, em dashes are used in pairs. The parrot toy I bought yesterday -the red one with the mirror- was cheaper than I thought. To Frame Extra InformationĮm dashes are used to frame extra information in sentences where commas or parentheses would otherwise be used: If not, go to the “ insert symbol” command and find the em dash there. Most word processors automatically produce an em dash if you type two hyphens next to each other. There is also the hyphen (-), which is shorter than either dash. The em dash (-), which is the width of a capital “M.”.The en dash (–), which is typically the width of a capital letter “N”.Below, we explain what an em dash is and how to use it in your writing. It’s a technique that’s often used when authors transcribe verbal communications.Confused about em dashes? This post is here to help. To Signal an InterruptionĮm dashes can signal an interruption, particularly in dialogue and other forms of written speech. Let’s take a closer look at each way you can effectively use this versatile punctuation mark in your sentences: 1. Finally, you can use em dashes as an alternative to parenthesis. On the other hand, they can substitute missing information or missing parts of a word. What’s more, an em dash can also signal a sentence break when you want to clarify something or give extra focus to a list of items. Use the em dash to indicate an interruption or an abrupt change in thought. It has multiple uses, making it a especially useful in informal writing or fiction. What is an Em Dash Used for?Īn em dash is the longest of the dashes. Between hyphen and en dash, there’s em dash, one of the most versatile punctuation marks that you can use. This versatile symbol helps adding structure, clarity, and even personality to otherwise complex sentences. When a comma or colon isn’t enough, or you want to avoid using parentheses, the em dash may be the punctuation mark for you. An em dash can replace commas, parentheses, and colons.Typically, you shouldn’t include a space before or after the em dash.Long dashes help add clarity, signal a break, or indicate an interruption in a sentence. They often help emphasize specific information.
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