Em dash—press option+shift+hyphen key. fiscal year 2020–21. The Unicode standard introduced a separate character U+2015 ― HORIZONTAL BAR to be used as a quotation dash. The en-dash is commonly used to show range as in dates (e. • Dashes are often used to introduce an abrupt change of thought, while parentheses add information. “I’ll come with—” In this example, the em dash indicates interrupted speech. TWO-EM DASH U+2E3A: Pd, dash Common ⸻ THREE-EM DASH U+2E3B: Pd, dash Common ⹀ DOUBLE HYPHEN U+2E40: Pd, dash Common 〜 WAVE DASH U+301C: Pd, dash Common 〰 WAVY DASH. . En dash ( –) When connecting two words to signify a range, Chinese generally uses an en dash occupying the space of one character (e. But if you use them, you’ll find they can show up near a lot of punctuation marks besides dashes. Thanks very much for your reply, Jennifer. Should a question mark be used after an em dash that abruptly ends a sentence? Ask Question Asked 1 year, 4 months ago Modified 4 months ago Viewed 168 times 4 I. Here, the em dash creates a break and adds emphasis. In the second example below, an em dash is more common than a colon, though the use of a colon is nevertheless correct. Share. There is a space before the first period and after the last period. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. ” The slash is sometimes used to convey the same meaning. Both spellings are many centuries old, and neither spelling was clearly prevalent on either side of the Atlantic until the second half of the 18th century. dashes. 1 Answer. The hex number is case-insensitive,. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. Authors can easily remember the difference. 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. In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, you’ll have access to the. Use a question mark after a direct question. In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). punctuation. It was first. Very heavy reverse solidus. Learn how to use em dashes in a sentence with these examples and best practices. 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. Type this sign on Mac, press and hold the Command (⌘) key and the hit the M key. Question marks, exclamation points, and dashes fall inside or outside closing quotations. Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. These, along with the other 12, are all listed neatly and explained for you here. the first word of a subtitle. 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. It then gives two examples, the second of them demonstrating that "the period . Write an em dash. Here’s a trick to help you remember which is which. An en dash (the shorter dash) expresses a range of values (times, years, dollar amounts). 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. ColonsFrom The Punctuation Guide : “The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. I've never heard about en dashes being used for em dashes. ". Comments. Once again, the em-dash adds more emphasis than the traditional punctuation mark. ex. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. Semicolons separate two independent clauses. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. Please read pages 70–77 in your text. In general it is the same length as an em-dash, and so this is often used instead. A dash (em dash) is emphatic. Don’t be confused: punctuation can change!) Also, em dashes don’t get along with periods at all. 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. Style guides often let you skip them. Example: apple orchard–scented candle. ago. Some word-processing programs have a mark called an em-dash (longer than a hyphen), which can be used with no space before or after it. When typing, a hyphen looks like this: (-). The em dash suggests an instantaneous jump from one part to the other, as if the two parts are both happening at the same time. It is shorter than an em-dash and longer than a hyphen. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. That said, let’s look at the two dashes and what makes them different. Em dash character is not a part of ASCII character set. Several options will pop up, including the em dash. However, if the punctuation mark is a dash (i. (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. When injecting a descriptive clause into a sentence, you are free to use em dashes, commas, or parentheses. 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. ] 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 en dash also signifies an abrupt change. An em dash is often used to indicate a break in thought in a sentence. Examples. Modern Japanese uses the question mark in the same way English speakers do to denote a question, be it typed or handwritten. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. This. , the India–Pakistan issue) To extend sentences just like colons, semicolons, and three dots (e. The en dash (–) → which is like a slightly longer hyphen. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. Incorrect. That might be something worth fixing in case you have people with accents in their names, that are. 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. You can also use the Alt key in combination with a sequence of numbers of insert an em dash or en dash. That may occasionally appear in old writing, where em dashes after commas and semicolons are more common. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. The semicolon is also used between two independent clauses linked by a transitional expression (e. Actually, the rules are fairly set on spaces before or after an "em-dash" -- you don't use them. Clark went to the Miami Heat – Boston Celtics game. Dashes and hyphens aren’t the same thing. In French, the period is not used after abbreviations of measurement: 25 m (mètres), 12 min (minutes), etc. 7. (Learn more about the difference between a. They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation mark, and ellipsis. Hold down. En Dash: –. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. Use of it is more common in formal academic writing that must cite sources. This usage explains the dialog part of your question. Interjections can stand alone as minor sentences, punctuated with a period, exclamation point, or question mark. Question mark. Em dashes are most often used in pairs to call a reader’s attention to the material they set off, making words, phrases, or clauses particularly dramatic or emotional. Punctuation Em-dash before question mark. 2)”Are you OK?” is a direct question. )The dash (—) is a mark of punctuation used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or a parenthetical remark (words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence). The dash can also be used to represent a pause, but a more. 90 Em dashes and line breaks; 6. ”. 2. Em dash —, in Windows, with the number keypad: Alt (hold)+ 0 1 5 1. We use ellipses to indicate omissions of words, phrases, or even whole sentences. If you want more design. Treat etc. Key stroke shortcuts: em-dash = alt + 0151; en-dash = alt + 0150. 3) The Repeating 'Em' Dash. There are actually two different kinds of dashes. You may see an EN dash used in the same way as the EM dash. 🙽. If you guessed that it’s as wide as the letter “M,” you get a gold star. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. [4] 3. These marks are available in most word processors, though many people simply use single and double quotation marks: 5’ 10”. To create the em dash on a Macintosh-based system, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press. 88 Em dashes with “that is,” “namely,” “for example,” and similar expressions; 6. 8. Usage: The em dash is used to indicate interruptions, emphasize elements, set off appositives, replace colons or semicolons, or create breaks in sentence flow. Quotation from wiki ( Em dash) When an actual em dash is unavailable—as in the ASCII character set—a double ("--") or triple hyphen-minus ("---") is used. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. Examples:A Quick Guide to Punctuation. And the final em dash before the question mark does nothing but to emphasize the distraction, in my opinion. Mac. Windows. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely. The em dash, or long dash, is the only punctuation mark on a keyboard that. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. A hyphen (-) is the shortest “dash” and. In particular, do not use the colon-dash (:—) to introduce a quotation or a list. For more ALT codes for various signs and symbols, see ALT Codes for Miscellaneous Symbols. 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. Translation. The report covers the period 1998–1999. Question Mark (?) In grammar, a question mark is a familiar punctuation used to end interrogative sentences. Smart punctuation is an iOS feature that automatically. Hyphens and dashes. Note: When the second clause expands on or explains the first, the colon is the better mark. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—). 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”. g. The en-dash – so named because (you guessed it) it’s the width of the skinnier letter n – is the shorter of the two. An em dash is preferred to divide elements within a sentence and pack a punch. The difference between a parenthetical comment using parentheses, and one using em dashes, is probably a matter of style. The different styles of dashes include the en dash “–”, the em dash “—”, and the horizontal bar “―”. For example: C++ is a rich language—one requiring extensive experience to fully understand. There is no piece of punctuation that means pause. The dash is a great way to indicate an abrupt change of thought or a parenthetical statement, and sometimes this may be useful after a question is complete. It indicates that the width of a printed matter is equal to its point size or height. 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. If you prefer, you can configure your keyboard in Windows to accept Unicode codepoint numbers, instead of "traditional". The em dash “—” and the en dash “–” are the two most popular dash forms. Or you can create an em dash by typing Ctrl+alt+minus on your number pad. ”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. Using Em Dashes (–) and Em Dashes (—) There are two different kinds of dashes: (1) en dashes and (2) em dashes. I went out with a guy based on his use of dashes once. In fact, em dashes can find an even greater role in dialog: they can replace quotation marks, though this is less common in English than in other languages. A numeric character reference in hexadecimal format. The em dash triggers readers’ brains to insert a slightly longer pause, which can aid in reading comprehension. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect. 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. Em dash. The Oxford Manual of Style once stated, “If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. m. Fiber is the preferred spelling in American English, and fibre is preferred in all the other main varieties of English. (We won’t get into the serial comma issue here. My WPF application is reading a text file and populating a listbox. answered Jul 7, 2010 at 7:53. (Check out more punctuation. While the em dash is used to indicate a sudden break or interruption in a sentence, the en dash is primarily used to show a range or connection between two elements. ”. a) She is wearing a new yellow dress, and looks clean and neat. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. 'Break/Fold Mark'. Although these punctuation marks look similar at a glance, they are actually distinct punctuation marks with specific intended uses and with distinct unicode character values. ” Stutters, Stammers, and Pauses. AP and AMA style guides are agreed: em dash goes inside the quotes, and that's your punctuation. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. @Kenny LJ, please remember there are no absolute rules about the use of any kind of dash as opposed to others… so em-dashes matter here only in the guidelines specified by your house style-book. ; fibre everywhere else. Since code page 437 does not include the en dash character, any system using that code page will have to resort to a fallback mechanism to render the file names, such as a question mark. It is wider than an en dash (–) or a hyphen (-). The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. Infographic: How to use an em dash. It was originally a humorous and slightly sanitized version of the curse word, but it has become the standard form. (it will become an em dash. 1. Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. This makes them a useful punctuation mark when we want to convey an argument or rapid back-and-forth dialogue between characters. (2) Em dashes can replace semicolons. Punctuation marks, like words and paragraph breaks, are tools. It is longer than both the en dash and the hyphen, and its length is equal to the width of the letter “M” in the given font. The verdict was unanimous — guilty. Dashes are used in the following five ways: To show in ranges for numbers or dates (e. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. 92 Em dashes in lists, indexes, and tables;. Learn how to use em dashes in a sentence with these examples and best practices. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. It is used to break up a longer sentence, usually to insert a phrase into the middle or end of a. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. Being so versatile can create confusion if overused, therefore it is best limited to two appearances per sentence. En dash ( –) When connecting two words to signify a range, Chinese generally uses an en dash occupying the space of one character (e. Capitalization rules. Example: She gave him her answer—No! Exclamation Mark (!) An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. “What are you talking about—wait, Johnny said it was Maria!”. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. The word “em” is actually a typographical unit of measurement. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). At a fundamental level, an Em dash is used to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence. If you want to use hyphens before and after your text, click AutoCorrect Options. The 2010–2011 season was our best yet. g. 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. However, there is a specific use native speakers give to this Spanish punctuation mark: in emails or letters, greetings are written using colons, whereas in English you usually use a comma unless you’re being very formal. Em dashes for interruptions: Use em dashes when you are interrupting the main idea of a sentence. g. Spaniards actually have a bit of a hard time when learning those alternative uses in. It indicates a longer pause than a comma and a semicolon. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5′ 10″ (read: five feet and ten inches). A hyphen makes compound words. 1. Our Rule 1 of Spacing with Punctuation states, “With a computer, use only one space following periods, commas, semicolons, colons, exclamation points, question marks, and quotation marks. To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. Dashes might look like hyphens, but they aren’t the same. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. En & Em Dashes While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes. A direct question is an interrogative sentence that asks an. , 1 May–13 June) To divide a compound adjective with two equal parts (e. Punctuation Marks Wheel : This 2-page print-out makes a punctuation marks wheel; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. 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). g. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. This eliminates option B. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. Like parentheses, the em dash can set off nonessential elements; but it does the parentheses one better—it can also set off essential elements. An em dash creates an interruption in a sentence like a semicolon, but with flair (we’re partial). Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does. | Grammar The em dash performs a versatile function to help separate certain words from the rest of a sentence. Press the Spacebar. Dashes. Whenever I have text surrounded by a dash symbol i. c) He thinks that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. Use a dash in dialogue to show an interruption or a sudden break in thought. The en dash, which is slightly shorter, and the em dash, which is the one you can see in the previous paragraph. And when em dashes are setting off material that requires a punctuation mark like a question mark or exclamation. These are the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). It can also be used to indicate each person’s speech in a dialogue. (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. 89 Em dashes with other punctuation; 6. The August–September issue of a magazine. The translation being made in our system is from a small subset of characaters to an upside-down question mark. Other Types of Dash. The main reason to use an em dash is to set off an explanation or an abrupt change in thought. 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. The employee, hoping to go home early, rushed her tasks. 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. [Emphasis mine. 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. An em dash is the width of the letter "m" in the font and type size being used, and should never be used in place of an en dash or hyphen. ” Em dashes are the most versatile, nuanced, and. This technique is best suited for creative or informal writing. For windows, you can hold down the ‘Alt’ and ‘-‘ key and you will get an en dash. F. 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. " "The sixth edition. Another way to create them is to press and hold Alt and type 0151 on a Windows device or select Option, Shift, and the hyphen key ( ‐) on a Mac. The raya is used to clarify something, in a similar way to parentheses. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. The en dash is twice as long as a hyphen and is most commonly used to signify a range between two words or numbers, for example the date range: 1990-2014. Parenthetical expressions, despite their name, don’t always have to be between parentheses. Of course, some may prefer the HTML markup method, where they can use it. ” Correct. The “slightly different” part is, to me, the em dash’s appeal summarized. 157). These two types of dashes serve different purposes: The EN dash, the shorter of the two dashes, is used to mark ranges. Anything powerful enough to cross the Wall usually retained enough magic to assume the shape of a soldier, or to become invisible. Both Word and Scrivener automatically convert two consecutive hyphens (--) to an em-dash (—), the technical name for this punctuation mark. Use dashes and ellipses to cut sentences off. For example, to type the em dash ( — ), hold down Alt while typing 0151 on the numeric keypad. (The exclamation point, like the question mark [see 8. 48 The En Dash, Numerals. (Note that AP style does not use en-dashes. For your example: “Well, I thought you—” He stopped himself. Translation. Ron Barrett. 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. Most of the time, adverbs will end in the letters -ly but there are some exceptions to this rule such as the words “very” and “never”. [Emphasis mine. " 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. Look at it. Consider the examples below: 3. Share. Press the space bar. 1. In fiction, the em dash almost always appears with no spaces around it. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. Periods (), question marks, exclamation marks, and commas are used as in English. Mark said: “I am confused if I should finish them with one of the final stop punctuation marks (when, as I read, 1- every sentence must be finished by an appropriate punctuation mark [the final stop], and 2- neither the dash nor the ellipsis are the final stop punctuation marks). 1973. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. e. Collingwood as Mr. “This is my book,” said María calmly. Household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves are. An en dash is denoted as (–) Em dashes are longer than hyphens, but shorter than em dashes. It is wider than an en dash (–) or a hyphen (-). In AP style, the dash should be set off with spaces on both sides. When Your Punctuation Says It All (!) 364. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. En and em dashes are longer than the hyphen. On a PC, the em-dash is made by holding down the ALT key and typing 0151 on the number pad. If the action is in the middle of a sentence, use em dashes outside the quotation marks. The shift from em dash to en dash reflects contemporary writing practice and the new focus on digital content. Here’s how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. “November Cotton Flower” by Jean. Chicago 6. The good news is that the ACT isn’t going to test you on the differences between the two. But the most important use of dashes in dialogue is to show one speaker interrupting another. The em dash should be used sparingly in your writing. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they. ellipses —Ellipses are three periods that indicate an omission within a quoted sentence or fragment of a sentence. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. There are two alternatives: (1) shitted, which appears about once for every instance of shat; and (2) shit, uninflected in the past tense. As its name suggests, an em dash (—) is roughly the length of the letter M, while an en dash (–) more closely matches an N. Wave dash ( ～) Sorted by: 58. They are named en dashes but they are as wide as the letter N. You did not tell us which hyphen you use, see answer from MT0. 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. Punctuation is the tool that allows us to organize our thoughts and make it easier to review and share our ideas. How to create en dashes and em dashes. How to use en dashes. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. Em dashes (also known as m-dashes or em rules). (Other things can do that too, but we’ll get to those in a bit. “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. Some methods for forming these punctuation marks on a PC: En dash—hold down the Alt key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. The em dash, also known as the long dash or mutton dash, is a punctuation mark used in writing to indicate a pause or break in a sentence. "-", the line in notepad will look like this for e. Improve this answer. The em dashes are used here to indicate that the information within them is rather shocking. Underscore: _. Easily find character codes for the HTML # sign, HTML @ symbol (at symbol), HTML percent sign, HTML ampersand (& HTML code), HTML copyright symbol and HTML caret insertion point, along with regular punctuation like the question mark, exclamation point, non-breaking hyphen, non-breaking space and more. , em dash, en dash, or hyphen), you should put the footnote marker before it. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. hphen – en dash – em dash — 2-em dash —— 3-em dash ———. En dashes are used to indicate relationships or interactions and ranges. The general rule is that a sentence ends with only one terminal punctuation mark. An em-dash can be used alone, as in this example from the online The Punctuation Guide: After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict—guilty. On Macs, the long dash symbol situation is much easier. By and large, an em dash serves to insert a break in your thought without ending your thought entirely. 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. An en dash is. The space needed after these punctuation marks is proportioned automatically. It gets its name from its size which is the. Press the Spacebar. C-----. 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. There is no difference in meaning between fiber and fibre. An ellipsis suggests a slight pause, as if one thing happens and then the other. &bull First item in the list. The other function is to punctuate compound modifiers that include an open compound or two or more hyphenated compounds. “Yes, you did!”. 🙽. There should be no space on either side of the dash, including when it is followed by a quotation mark. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through. The dash works somewhat like parentheses or commas, but it is used where a stronger punctuation is needed. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151.