Unfortunately, the em-dash — and the en-dash (–) for that matter — is not popular enough to deserve its own place on the keyboard. Grammar. Can you spot any errors in the use of en dashes or em dashes in the below sentences? 2. Em dash To create an En dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl + minus. Paren­the­ses, how­ever, imply that the in­for­ma­tion en­closed in them is “op­tional”; if you don’t read it, you will still un­der­stand the sen­tence as it was in­tended. The Chicago Manual of Style 17th edition text © 2017 by The University of Chicago. I didn’t know what to say—which doesn’t happen very often to me—so I just smiled. Although many people call the hyphen a “dash,” dash refers to another group of horizontal lines in text. An em dash is mostly used to set apart a phrase or clause. Glitter, felt, yarn, and buttons—his kitchen looked as if a clown had exploded. En Dash (–) What is the symbol (–) called? The em-dash (“—”) is the longest dash in com­mon use. The Chicago Manual of Style is a registered trademark of The University of Chicago. Or, it can signal an interruption (see our article on interrupting sentences for more on that!) Em Dash (—) vs En Dash (–): When to Use Dashes with Examples, Noun Phrase: Definition, Components and Examples of …, Parentheses () When to Use Parentheses in …, Future Continuous Tense: Definition, Rules and Useful …, Present Continuous Spelling Rules | Useful -ING …, Pronoun | Types of Pronouns with Examples …, Gender of Nouns: Useful Masculine and Feminine …, Position of Adverbs: Adverb Placement in Sentences, Top 100 Commonly Misspelled Words in the …. It allows, in a manner similar to parentheses, an additional thought to be added within a sentence by sort of breaking away from that sentence—as I’ve done here. It should be noted that dashes are almost never required by the rules of grammar and punctuation. Alternatively, in MS Word, you can type two hyphens together to get an Em Dash. It is the width of an ‘m,’ hence the name. An em dash may be used to signify a sudden break or interruption in dialogue. The typical computer keyboard lacks a dedicated key for the en dash, though most word processors provide a means for its insertion. Num Lock must be enabled and you need to use the minus key on the numeric keypad. A flock of sparrows – some of them juveniles – alighted and sang. Q. Dashes, on the other hand, em­pha­size what’s in­side them; com­pare the fol­low­ing sen­tences: 1. En-dashes are used to express a range (“5–10 year sentence”). In US usage, En dashes join two numbers that are written numerically, not spelled. 1994 – 1996 (1994SpaceHyphenSpace1996) Once you hit the space key after the second word, the hyphen will form an en dash. These events took place between 1990–1997 along the Paris-London route. each of them have various roles to play in making the written word comprehensible. The en dash is used to indicate distance. To create an Em dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl + Alt + minus. Writers shouldn’t overuse the em dash either; it … For example, in a bibliographic list, rather than repeating the same author over and over again, three consecutive em dashes (also known as a 3-em dash) stand in for the author’s name. And in fact en dashes specify any kind of range, which is why they properly appear in indexes when a range of pages is cited (e.g., 147–48). Punctuation marks are not assigned different levels of importance. The em dash is the mark most of us picture when we hear the term dash. Examples where an em-dash should be used: School is based on the three R’s—reading, writing, and ’rithmetic. The em dash is used for marking of unimportant words. On a Mac, the keyboard shortcut Option + Dash (-) makes an en dash, and Option + Shift + Dash (-) makes an em dash. An em dash can serve as a comma. The en dash and em dash are less easy. Against all odds, Pete—the unluckiest man alive—won the lottery. Its use or misuse for this purpose is a matter of taste, and subject to the effect on the writer’s or reader’s “ear.” Em dashes also substitute for something missing. So, the example of em dash shown above is not good examples. How can you say that ‘The dash is one of the most important punctuation marks in the English language’? a parenthetical; an ersatz-ellipsis). As you can see, the em dash is the longest of the three, and roughly the width of the letter m, which is how it got its name. However, on a MAC keyboard, there is a simple short cut. It is primarily used to replace “through” or “to” in spans of time and ranges of numbers: I read pages 34–96 last night from 10:00–11:00pm. If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an … Look at them together below to choose for yourself:en-dash: By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity – another man’s, I mean.em-dash: By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity—another man’s, I mean. An em dash, or long dash, is used:. What is (.) 4. 1. If you are looking for an easy way to type this em dash in Word, you’ve come to the right place. This method uses the Replace dashes option under Tools > AutoCorrect > Options to replace one or two hyphens, under certain conditions, with the corresponding dash.. Subscribe to The Chicago Manual of Style Online. The em dash has several uses. The Chicago Manual of Style Online © 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017 by The University of Chicago. The en-dash has become more popular over the years, where traditionally the em-dash was the most common. Em dashes are used to separate phrases—as you would use commas, parentheses, semicolons, colons, ellipses—and isolate ancillary thoughts, offset examples, signal an interruption, or indicate emphasis. En Dash: An en dash is for showing a range of numbers. The em dash has several uses. A note about the en dash: Because the en dash is starting to be used less frequently, this lesson will not cover it in depth. 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. The rules for using an en-dash are less fixed than for other kinds of punctuation, and some fonts are missing this character altogether.It is less commonly used than the hyphen or the em dash. Different types of adverbs go …, Learn how to use Used To, Get Used To and …, In this article, we are going to take a look …. Learn how and when to use dashes in English with this useful chart. It’s quite a versatile punctuation mark, but shouldn’t be used more than twice in a single sentence. Would this be an instance of a dash or en dash? An em dash is also known as a long dash. Noting that people have proclaimed their love of this punctuation mark with em dash tattoos, the New York Times called it “the bad boy, or cool girl, of … So, using our em dash example above of 12px, the en dash would be 6px wide. One of the most important forms …, List of Genders of Nouns! The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. It allows, in a manner similar to parentheses, an additional thought to be added within a sentence by sort of breaking away from that sentence—as I’ve done here. The em dash (—) is twice as long as the en dash (–). The em dash (— or -- [on an old-fashioned typewriter]) is the most commonly used type of dash and is often simply referred to as a dash. Learn the noun phrase definition, …, What is a parenthesis? Span or range of numbers. The en dash connects things that are related to each other by distance, as in the May–September issue of a magazine; it’s not a May-September issue, because June, July, and August are also ostensibly included in this range. Of the three similar types of punctuation—hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes—the en dash is generally the least common, and the most confusing. En dashes are also used to connect a prefix to a proper open compound: for example, pre–World War II. There are two kinds of dashes, the en dash, and the em dash (long dash). An en dash is one-half the width of an em dash. Note. The em dash/ long dash (—) is different from en dash (–) and hyphen (-).Twice as long as the en dash, the long dash can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence.1. Creating an en dash can be done by either: [ctrl] and the minus sign on the numpad or [alt] 0150 (on the numpad) Em dash. The en dash (–) is slightly wider than the hyphen (-) but narrower than the em dash (—). The em dash is an incredibly versatile punctuation mark that can be used instead of parentheses, commas, colons, or quotation marks in a sentence. In interrupted speech, one or two em dashes may be used: “I wasn’t trying to imply——” “Then just what were you trying to do?” Also, the em dash may serve as a sort of bullet point, as in this to-do list: This explanation is not intended to be exhaustive (for much more, see chapter 6 in CMOS), but I do hope that it helps to frame the different potential of each length of dash. Account Management, About the University of Chicago Press Sometimes, an em dash is used in the same manner as a bullet point or to show an interruption between two people engaged in a dialogue. One kind of dash that is frequently used is the ‘ en dash,’ which is the width of an ‘n.’ UK usage frequently employs the en dash in the place of the em dash. To type an en dash, press the alt/option key and the hyphen key together, and to type an em dash, hold down the upper-case key while pressing the alt/option key and hyphen key together. Insert an Em or En dash using shortcut keys. Creating an en dash. or amplification (“expanding”) of an idea. To create an Em dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl + Alt + minus. (And yes, the en dash is named because it’s the width of the letter n.). An em dash or a spaced en dashcan be used to mark a break in a sentence, and a pair can be used to set off parenthetical statements. The Chicago Manual of Style 16th edition text © 2010 by The University of Chicago. Em Dash: An em dash is useful to display how a person changes his subject mid-sentence or gets interrupted by an external disturbance. In this section, we are going to …, Present Continuous Spelling Rules – Learn useful spelling rules (-ING …, What is a full stop? The em dash has a fan club of sorts, as writers love to debate its many uses (and possible overuses). Between 1–3 inches of rainfall fell last night. In the following table, the A and B represent text consisting of letters A to z or digits 0 to 9. The en dash is a symbol (–) that is slightly wider than a hyphen (-). Two words into statements an em dash is usually used in places where a comma would be 6px wide hit... Privacy Policy Contact us interviews, quizzes, and buttons—his kitchen looked as if a clown had.. Not good examples say—which doesn ’ t happen very often to me—so i just smiled very to... The example of em dash is for showing a range or connections 1996 ( 1994SpaceHyphenSpace1996 ) you. Our article on interrupting sentences for more on that! in English with useful! Mostly used to express a range or connections 2017 by the rules grammar... 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