The em dash has another job. It can substitute for an unknown element, like a missing word or letter. Typically, two em dashes represent the absence of one or more letters in a word. Three em dashes indicate the absence of an entire word. This format is often used in bibliographies when citing multiple works by the same author. The em dash keyboard shortcut differs depending on if you're using a Mac or PC.; On a PC, you can use an Emoji keyboard or type the 'Alt Code,' Alt + 0151. On a Mac, you simply need to use the. What I suggest works well on Windows Word and should work on a Mac as well. Find an em dash some existing document and copy it to the clipboard. Go into AutoCorrect options. Type three hyphens in the left-hand box, to be replaced with (paste the e. To type an em dash, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press the Minus key. Alternatively, press the Hyphen key twice and press Space. To type an en dash, hold down the Option key and press the Minus key. Video of the Day.
And now, another punctuation term that you probably have never heard before: the em dash.
Truthfully, I was ignorant of the em dash until Joe first approached me about a punctuation post.
Word For Mac Shortcut Em Dashboard
So I did what any educated American would do and went straight to Wikipedia. (Remember encyclopedias? Those were the days.)
Em Dash—Definition
Turns out the em dash (also known as an m dash, m-rule, the long dash, or, in the grammatical slang circles, 'mutton,' and I am not making that up) is just that extended dash you see when there is a break in narration or conversation.
You know the one:
Andy scanned the budgets on his desk, noting that Margot's handwriting—and most of her work, in fact—was less than satisfactory. Lucas sr4 magneto manual.
Or, in a dialogue:
'Carl, I honestly don't know why you—' 'Stop, Lauren. I will put hot sauce on my pasta instead of marinara if I want to.'
What Em Dashes (Long Dashes) Do for Your Writing
Em dashes are a fun way to let the reader inside the head of the characters and get to know their personalities.
From the first example above, we've not only learned something about Margot, but also how Andy perceives her and her work.
Without the em dash-enhanced aside, the reader doesn't get the same effect. And from the second example, it's pretty clear that Carl is done hearing Lauren's protests about his dining choices.
Em Dash Keyboard Shortcut
On Microsoft Word (and most other word processing systems), when you put two dashes next to each other (–), they combine to form an em dash.
Cracked mac apps website. However, on most web editors—Wordpress, Twitter, or Facebook for example—those two hyphens don't magically become em-dashes.
Meaning you can either copy and paste from Word, or use the em dash keyboard shortcut to make them yourself. Fortunately, the em dash keyboard shortcut is incredibly fast and easy. I use it all the time:
alt/option + shift + dash (-)
Just hit alt/option + shift + dash (-) at the same time and you'll get a beautifully long em-dash. Try it now in the comments form below. Isn't that great?
Em Dash Copy & Paste
Em dashes are a fun way to let the reader inside the head of the characters and get to know their personalities.
From the first example above, we've not only learned something about Margot, but also how Andy perceives her and her work.
Without the em dash-enhanced aside, the reader doesn't get the same effect. And from the second example, it's pretty clear that Carl is done hearing Lauren's protests about his dining choices.
Em Dash Keyboard Shortcut
On Microsoft Word (and most other word processing systems), when you put two dashes next to each other (–), they combine to form an em dash.
Cracked mac apps website. However, on most web editors—Wordpress, Twitter, or Facebook for example—those two hyphens don't magically become em-dashes.
Meaning you can either copy and paste from Word, or use the em dash keyboard shortcut to make them yourself. Fortunately, the em dash keyboard shortcut is incredibly fast and easy. I use it all the time:
alt/option + shift + dash (-)
Just hit alt/option + shift + dash (-) at the same time and you'll get a beautifully long em-dash. Try it now in the comments form below. Isn't that great?
Em Dash Copy & Paste
Or, just because we want to be helpful, you could just copy and paste this one: — https://overdownloadkpg-49d-4-20-free.peatix.com.
Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen
There are actually three different types of dashes, and it's very easy to mix them up.
Not sure the difference between the three? Here's a cheat sheet for the different types of dashes:
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. (And yes, the en dash is named because it's the width of the letter n.)
The em dash also acts as the longest stop or pause in a sentence compared to the other three dashes, which all serve to join parts of sentences rather than break up a sentence and stop the reader. https://downloadbug883.hatenablog.com/entry/2020/12/19/200531.
When To Avoid Em Dashes
Too much em dashing can stifle and break up a narrative flow at the expense of the story.
For example, reasoning With Vampires is a blog that picks apart the writing of the Twilight series, and Dana, the blogger, has compiled a bunch of examples of poorly placed em dashes.
As with dessert, wine, and Nikki Minaj concerts, moderation is the key.
More Punctation Resources
Need more grammar help? My favorite tool that helps find grammar problems and even generates reports to help improve my writing is ProWritingAid. Works with Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, and web browsers. Also, be sure to use my coupon code to get 25 percent off: WritePractice25
Coupon Code:WritePractice25 »How about you? Do you enjoy using Em Dashes in your writing? Let me know in the comments section.
PRACTICE
Write for fifteen minutes on the following writing prompt. Use em dashes to provide insight into the mind of the characters, or to show interruptions in dialogue.
Prompt: Ashley stared at Max, who was sitting in the middle of the disheveled living room.
When your time is up, post your practice in the comments section. And if you post, please be sure to give feedback to your fellow writers by commenting on whether they used the em dash correctly.
An em dash (—)is longer than an en dash (–) and three times as long as a hyphen (-). Don't be afraid of it. It is useful and versatile, and too few writers make use of it.
Uses of the em dash
1. Em dashes set apart parenthetical phrases or clauses in a sentence. Chadwick vibrex 2000 manual. In this use, em dashes are similar to commas and parentheses, but there are subtle differences. For example, em dashes are used when a parenthetical remark contains an internal comma or would otherwise sound awkward if enclosed by commas. Perhaps a useful way to think of the em dash is as a pause or parenthesis with somewhat more emphasis than a comma and somewhat less than parentheses. Here are a few examples of em dashes used well for this purpose:
https://coolhfil651.weebly.com/flamingo-1-0-7.html. Steely Dan's title track to FM—a justly forgotten, Robert Altman-inspired 1978 comedy that tries to pass off Foreigner, Foghat, and REO Speedwagon as paragons of rock rebellion—initially sounds like an extension of that movie's middle-of-the-road sounds. [AV Club]
Since 2007, the consensus of the economic establishment—bankers, policymakers, CEOs, stock analysts, pundits—has been catastrophically wrong. [Slate]
Both Dagan and Diskin oppose military action against Iran unless all other options—primarily international diplomatic pressure and perhaps sabotage—have been exhausted. [Guardian]
In other cases, em dashes can go where parentheses would be too strong a break in a sentence, for example:
The president's nephews—sons of his late brother—include Amar, the deputy director for national security … [New York Times]
2. An em dash can indicate a sudden break, an interruption, or a trailing off, for example:
HOWARD: … She's totally unapologetic, she's—
CHEW-BOSE: She's everything. [Interview Magazine]
Mac Em Dash Shortcut
3. Em dashes can replace colons or serve as harder versions of commas (similar to semicolons). While parenthetical em dashes often operate in pairs (see the examples under the first point above), hard-comma em dashes often function alone at ends of sentences, for example:
The all-renewable energy sector is 30 years away — and always will be. [Salon]
It's that time of year again—time for New Year's Resolutions! [Pegasus Books]
Em dash typography
Keyboard Shortcut For Em Dash In Word
Publications make varying style choices when it comes to rendering the em dash. Some use the equivalent of three linked hyphens surrounded by a space on each side (like — this), and some omit the surrounding spaces (like—this). Others, like the online New York Times and most non-U.S. publishers, use an en dash (or the equivalent of two hyphens) surrounded by spaces (like — this). Some use an en dash with no spaces (like–this). Others, such as the BBC online, use a hyphen surrounded by spaces (like – this). The hyphen is traditionally regarded as a poor substitute for the dash, but given the relative ease of typing the hyphen, its use in lieu of the dash seems to be on the rise, and many see nothing wrong in it. Ultimately, it is a matter of editorial preference.
Em Dash Shortcut In Word
In Mac OS X, an em dash can be typed very easily by holding down the option and shift keys and typing a hyphen.
Shortcut For Long Dash In Word
Window xp black edition 2009 camaro. In Microsoft Word, an em dash can be typed with ctrl + alt + numeric hyphen. Note that this is only available using the hyphen on the numeric keypad not the main keyboard. Word (on a Mac or a PC) will automatically render an em dash when two hyphens are typed, unspaced, between words.
