An em is simply a unit of measurement within the field of typography. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. And like a colon, it can introduce a word or a clause that describes or expands upon what precedes it. The good news is that the ACT isn’t going to test you on the differences between the two. These dashes differ not only in their length but also in the function they perform in a sentence. If you want to use hyphens before and after your text, click AutoCorrect Options. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. What you read in the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas is correct: only parenthetical remarks and dialogues are correct uses of the em-dash in Spanish. If you type in two hyphens/minus without a space before or after, most word processors automatically convert it into an em dash. In most situations, a colon is better than an em dash, but if the list is being tacked on to the end of a complete sentence, or feels like an aside (see above), then an em dash might make sense. 7. I agree that it should try to match the size of the missing word. [Emphasis mine. Infographic: How to use an em dash. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151. 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. When a character hits a server or email. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes often set off descriptive or parenthetical information. (If you do, up vote that answer. 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. It can also be used to indicate each person’s speech in a dialogue. True, I could work around this sentence construction entirely, although it would impact the pacing. The main use of em dashes is to set off extra information in a sentence. 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. This is also true for the dot part of the question mark, and exclamation mark. There is no difference in meaning between fiber and fibre. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. A dash is a break in thought, from one focus to another. 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. 6 Dash [UEB §7. ” The answer given does not answer his question. Use an En dash as a replacement for the word ‘to’ or to denote a range of numbers. Period, question mark, exclamation mark, comma. Hyphen. Look at it. In this century, the shorter one is preferred in all main varieties of English. In the case of an actual question being asked I feel the mark would go before the em-dash. So, they cannot be linked by comma (Commas are only used to link a dependent and an independent clause). En-dash The medium-length dash (–) is called an en-dash (so called because it is approximately the width of a capital letter N in the typeface being used). Em Dashes The em dash is the longest line among these marks of punctuation (—). Uses of the Question Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Question Mark; Problems with Question Marks; Quiz: Problems with Question Marks; Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Problems with Exclamation Marks; Quiz: Problems with Exclamation Marks; What Are Commas, Semicolons, and Colons; Uses of the Comma; Quiz: Uses of. The Chicago Manual of Style says that “periods and commas precede closing quotation marks. 2. Note that in British English, the punctuation marks only go inside of the quotation marks if the punctuation is part of the quoted material, although many writers make an exception for periods. Option C is eliminated because there must be some punctuation for linking. Deploy single quote marks used for quotes within dialogue. QUESTION MARK U+003F: Po, other Common @ COMMERCIAL AT U+0040: Po, other Common REVERSE SOLIDUS U+005C: Po,. Punctuation is the tool that allows us to organize our thoughts and make it easier to review and share our ideas. It could be written with a semicolon, a colon, or a period (or a. A colon is a more formal but weaker punctuation mark than an em dash. ) when I included the Insert statement to store data retrieved from the final select statement to a table, the dash character is being replaced with another character. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. A hyphen makes compound words. In fiction, as in other kinds of writing, you'll still want to use the em dash to indicate. Adashisthe punctuation name for a mark that used to separate words into statements. 2. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they discover you're using the wrong term :-) Share. To insert an interjection in the middle of a sentence, place one em dash on both sides of the interjected phrase. To Indicate Interruption in Dialogue, Use An Em-Dash. The dash works somewhat like parentheses or commas, but it is used where a stronger punctuation is needed. 1969–1981. Em dashes also substitute for something missing. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. 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. Mingo Evil Flamingo, Feb 21, 2010 #3. Semicolons separate two independent clauses. as you would the phrase and the rest. Dashes. Em Dashes The em dash is the longest line among these marks of punctuation (—). To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. Perhaps a door was closed on the speaker’s face, cutting off her sentence. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. The correct punctuation would be: Jenny said, “That’s unbelievable!”. 1. ”. “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. In the "Text" tab you will find the list of substitutions. S. The punctuation mark should not be confused with dashes (–, —), which are. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. Mistakes with hyphens are very common: leaving them out when they’re needed, adding them when they’re unnecessary, or putting them. Le lineette (in inglese Em Dashes) "—" La lineetta è utilizzata in inglese per segnalare degli incisi enfatici, quindi spesso sostituendo virgole, parentesi e due punti italiani. By Jessica Bennett. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. So, if a symbol is to be used, Chicago (at least implicitly) says it should be an em dash without a space. Use a question mark after a direct question. The em dash should be used sparingly in your writing. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. The en dash is less well known than. Examples. For windows, you can hold down the ‘Alt’ and ‘-‘ key and you will get an en dash. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. In all uses of the en dash, you should be able to substitute the word “to” or “through” for the dash. AP style calls for a space on both sides of an em dash, but most other styles, including MLA and APA, omit the spaces. Insert em Dash. The em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that can be used in both formal and informal writing. Trademark ™ : ALT 0153;There are three types of dashes in writing used to convey different ideas in an engaging way. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely. Collingwood as Mr. Guion y raya (Hyphen and Em-dash) 9. A numeric character reference in hexadecimal format. The word ellipsis comes from an ancient Greek word that means “to leave out. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to. Just like in narrative, dashes can be used in dialogue to set off clauses within sentences. Use em dashes to do the following: Set off explanatory. Example: apple orchard–scented candle. 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. En dashes are used to indicate relationships or interactions and ranges. Em dashes can also signal an interruption or a sudden change in the direction a writer was heading with a particular sentence. 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. An em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that looks like an extended dash. The patient reported taking 15 (?) milligrams of alprazolam. To format an em dash in Word, type two hyphens, with no spaces, between the words—the dash will automatically form as you continue typing. In almost every instance, you should place the footnote marker after the punctuation. And an example:There are 14 punctuation marks that are used in the English language. Example em dashes: Upon discovering the errors—all 124 of them—the publisher. En Dash Examples. On a Mac. They are usually used in two different ways. Some authorities include a space between the uncertain word and the opening parenthesis; others omit the space (as shown in the example below). Em dashes can be used to. It indicates that the width of a printed matter is equal to its point size or height. My WPF application is reading a text file and populating a listbox. Comments. fiscal year 2020–21. 4. At the end of a sentence. The Dash. The dashes are more prominent, and thus suggest a more prominent comment. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. This is really useful if you're a few words over the 650 word limit and need to trim a bit. Whenever I have text surrounded by a dash symbol i. ” But the width of the two dashes isn’t the only thing that separates the two. The sixth edition recommended an unspaced em dash for these purposes. If your teacher says not to use it then do not use it for work that is submitted to your teacher. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. g. Household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves are. The most flexible and versatile punctuation mark—the Em Dash. Em dash character is not a part of ASCII character set. In general, em dashes should be avoided in formal writing because they are often used in place of necessary punctuation, parentheses, or further explanation. They are named en dashes but they are as wide as the letter N. 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). The em is the longest in the dash suite. “What space?”. Parenthesis, em dash, and en dash - Create sentences that need parenthesis, em dashes, and en dashes but leave them out. “Yes, you did!”. Learn how to use em dashes in a sentence with these examples and best practices. Here are the code points for the Unicode dashes that are of the Common script, along with their general categories. ManhattanMss New Member. British authors often prefer to use an en-dash ( – ) with spaces on either side rather than the em. 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. A hyphen (-) is shorter still. Identify the sentence that is punctuated correctly. Do not combine the dash with any mark of punctuation other than quotation marks, the question mark, the exclamation mark and occasionally the period. He worked in his office-cum-dining room. Please read pages 70–77 in your text. Dashes should not be overused. 👉 Em dash Mac: hold down the option + shift + the hyphen keys and viola! 👉 Em dash Word: tap the minus sign twice and continue writing. The hex number is case-insensitive,. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. 🙽. En dashes can be used to separate a date range or span of time. Both the colon and the em dash introduce new information that explains or builds upon something that precedes it. 4. 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. En dashes (–) represent a range between numbers, dates, and times. (Note that AP style does not use en-dashes. Use a dash in dialogue to show an interruption or a sudden break in thought. ” Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts (skinny letters and fat letters. @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. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. nouns followed by numerals or letters. Look at my use of em dashes in this post, aside from the previous sentence. It then gives two examples, the second of them demonstrating that "the period . The Space In French Punctuation. 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. The em dash is even longer and is used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon for emphasis. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. 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. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through. Typically I replace special characters with plain text but on some occasions desire to replace them with other. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. g. To type the — using the keyboard you can the Alt code from the shortcode section. On a typewriter, a comma or a period takes the same amount of space as any other letter. An em dash indicates that the dialogue stops abruptly and you would place the em dash inside the closing quotation marks. Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. In English, there is no space between the word preceding the punctuation mark and the punctuation mark itself. The em dash is also used for denoting an incomplete speech. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. ”. In traditional Japanese, questions were simply punctuated with a full stop rather than a question mark. 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. These punctuation marks may fall outside of the closing quotation mark in some cases. There are also some other rules regarding what to do if the title includes a question mark, ellipsis, or a colon already. (Check out more punctuation. Share. Type the keyboard shortcut or caret code into the Find what text box (see figure 4). The employee—hoping to go home early—rushed her tasks. Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Bone2pick, Dec 12, 2022. ”. Examples. Looking at the other commend where u/xlrod has a fix; what you have instead is char 65533 or - not a question mark, but a placeholder Unicode "I dunno what this is" character - that suggests your export wasn't right, and has mangled some characters. Em dashes join onto the words before and after—like this. Between independent clauses linked by a transitional expression. . . It indicates a longer pause than a comma and a semicolon. I solved by this link. Francisco Santa Cruz, Strategic Communication – Advertising and Public Relations major with a minor in Mathematics; Em dash. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. Here’s how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. Learn how to use each type in a sentence with these examples and best practices. En Dash: –. E. Hyphens and dashes. C-----. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. 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. Periods (), question marks, exclamation marks, and commas are used as in English. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. 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. is omitted in deference to the question mark". However, I can't recall an em dash being used according to your first case in modern publishing. Question mark! Exclamation point, Comma; Semicolon: Colon-Hyphen – En dash — Em dash. you might notice em dashes and commas getting along just fine. Type this sign on Mac, press and hold the Command (⌘) key and the hit the M key. Em dashes for interruptions: Use em dashes when you are interrupting the main idea of a sentence. Hold down. This technique is best suited for creative or informal writing. [Emphasis mine. This means we only use one em dash instead of two when the interruption comes at. In fact, there can be great confusion when incorporating dashes in reading and writing. Hold down the left. 2 Answers. 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). Though not necessarily a matter of punctuation, there is one important distinction between American and British usage when it comes to dates. Write with Grammarly What is an em dash? Em dashes differ from other hyphens and dashes not only in usage, which we will discuss shortly, but also in appearance. "-", the line in notepad will look like this for e. Aether still appears as a poetic affectation, especially in reference to the word’s ancient Greek and Latin senses, but. 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). By changing the console code page to something that does support the en dash character, such as 1252, this problem may be corrected. As shown above, em dashes are often left unspaced when used in this way. Upon firing the company’s non-salaried employees—and. It’s equal to the specific point size in any given typeface. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. But the most important use of dashes in dialogue is to show one speaker interrupting another. Smart punctuation is an iOS feature that automatically. Being so versatile can create confusion if overused, therefore it is best limited to two appearances per sentence. 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. 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. The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He left—would you believe it?—immediately after the ball. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). On a PC, the em-dash is made by holding down the ALT key and typing 0151 on the number pad. An en dash (the shorter dash) expresses a range of values (times, years, dollar amounts). That might be something worth fixing in case you have people with accents in their names, that are. That being said, em dashes should not be used in place of hyphens or colons. ” Stutters, Stammers, and Pauses. 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. For windows, you can hold down the ‘Alt’ and ‘-‘ key and you will get an en dash. NVDA is the least likely. The verdict was unanimous — guilty. Intuition is important to survival: studies show that instinct can beat analytical thinking in a crisis. 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. 9. In the second example below, an em dash is more common than a colon, though the use of a colon is nevertheless correct. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. The em dash triggers readers’ brains to insert a slightly longer pause, which can aid in reading comprehension. Fiber in the U. For example: (1) Em dashes can replace colons. 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”. 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. 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. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. The en-dash – so named because (you guessed it) it’s the width of the skinnier letter n – is the shorter of the two. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. Thus, an em dash in 9-point type is as long as the height of a. ex. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. 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. Below are lines of five each of em dashes, en dashes, minuses, and hyphens, all separated by a normal space. This eliminates option B. Pre-electric typewriters normally had only the hyphen-width dash to apply to situations calling for em dashes, so the usual method in U. Examples. Type a word. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a dash as “the mark (—) used to separate parts of a sentence. An em dash can be used for the same purpose. 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. When you spin the wheel, punctuation marks appear, including: period, comma, question mark, hyphen, dash, parentheses, apostrophe, ellipsis, quotation mark, colon, semicolon, exclamation point. Ellipses for omitted material spanning two or more sentences. First, one is longer: The em dash (—) → which is like two hyphens joined together. Example: She gave him her answer—No! Exclamation Mark (!) An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. To show a break in narration or conversation in place of an ellipsis. In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. g. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. ] 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. Formally, this job is reserved for the em dash, but there is some leniency in use depending on the publisher. Hyphens might look like dashes, but they aren’t dashes. The em dash is used when an idea is being interrupted, when clarification is needed, when elaboration is needed, or when items are being listed in a sentence. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. But instead of eating the period, the em dash will completely bail when they’re about to meet up. The text won't look as good, but realistically, most people won't notice. It may be used in place of commas, a semicolon, a colon, or parentheses. There are actually two different kinds of dashes. Em dashes (also known as m-dashes or em rules). The stores were filled with holiday shoppers—even more so than last year. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. 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 put any spaces before and. To create an em dash on a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0151 on the numberpad of the keyboard. When. The Spanish names for the hyphen, en-dash and em-dash are guión, semiraya o raya menor, and raya, respectively. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. 3 Answers Sorted by: 2 No, because the dash (which should properly be an M-dash, like this — ) is an interrupter. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. The 3 types of dashes—hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes—often get mixed up. ellipses —Ellipses are three periods that indicate an omission within a quoted sentence or fragment of a sentence. Both Word and Scrivener automatically convert two consecutive hyphens (--) to an em-dash (—), the technical name for this punctuation mark. An en dash is. Command (⌘) + M. The raya (em-dash) usually indicates separation; for example, it signals interventions of. Comments. Here are some rules for how to use interrupters. Em dash is an impressively versatile punctuation mark that can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context. En & Em Dashes While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes. To turn smart punctuation off, all you have to do is go to Settings > General > Keyboard, and then turn off the "Smart Punctuation" toggle. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. — Question Mark. ) When it’s in the middle of the sentence, it doesn’t need to be followed by a comma. The “slightly different” part is, to me, the em dash’s appeal summarized. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. It should be noted that dashes are almost never required by the rules of grammar and punctuation. Breaking dialogue into multiple paragraphs. ”. Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. The em dash indicates a shift in Isaac's mood. April 5–June 4. These marks are available in most word processors, though many people simply use single and double quotation marks: 5’ 10”. 2] In braille, a dash is represented by dots 6, 36 (,-). Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect. C. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. To create an em-dash on a Windows computer, hold down the [Alt] key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad. Press the space bar. Insert an em or en dash using Alt and keyboard shortcuts. That is much better than the translation witnessed in other systems, where a bullet in a bulleted list was changed to &bull. Parentheses diminish the importance of a phrase, while dashes enhance it. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. As an outcome those characters are generated in the excel as shown below, which contains a kind of question mark. “November Cotton Flower” by Jean. 47 Punctuation with em 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. Actually, the rules are fairly set on spaces before or after an "em-dash" -- you don't use them. Most commonly, a dash connects an independent clause with another, with a. As an outcome those characters are generated in the excel as shown below, which contains a kind of question mark. And when em dashes are setting off material that requires a punctuation mark like a question mark or exclamation. If a comma is a quarter note rest, then an em dash is a half-note rest. a.