En dashes are incredibly useful punctuation marks, used to add extra emphasis to a sentence or statement. And when em dashes are setting off material that requires a punctuation mark like a question mark or exclamation. -Em dashes mark an interruption or break in thought. e. Em Dashes. Of course, some may prefer the HTML markup method, where they can use it. This suggests that a question mark is "stronger" than a period and is the mark that is retained. Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the following guidelines: • Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. Spaniards actually have a bit of a hard time when learning those alternative uses in. Use dashes and ellipses to cut sentences off. Both the colon and the em dash introduce new information that explains or builds upon something that precedes it. Clark went to the Miami Heat – Boston Celtics game. And like a colon, it can introduce a word or a clause that describes or expands upon what precedes it. Consider the difference between the sentence above and the one. (Learn more about the difference between a. ) The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. To type an em dash in Microsoft Word, press the Option + Shift + hyphen keys (on Mac OS). In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. And you wouldn't have to do any kind of terminal punctuation, no need for a period or a question mark or an exclamation point. The word “em” is actually a typographical unit of measurement. The raya (em-dash) usually indicates separation; for example, it signals interventions of. • Dashes are often used to introduce an. —dijo María con calma. When a character hits a server or email. ) 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. However, in this case also why is there an em-dash anyways? If the exclamation or question is full and complete then why is there an "abrupt break in speech. It’s equal to the specific point size in any given typeface. There's no shortcut and the only way to do it on a keyboard is to type the em dash alt code (Alt + 0151) or the en dash alt code (Alt + 0150). “A dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. An em dash indicates that the dialogue stops abruptly and you would place the em dash inside the closing quotation marks. the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. If the interruption occurs at the. "-", the line in notepad will look like this for e. The semicolon is also used between two independent clauses linked by a transitional expression (e. JAWS is the most likely of the screen readers to read these kinds of punctuation marks. Question mark! Exclamation point. On our way to school, we walk past the Turner Farm—the oldest dairy farm in town—and watch the cows being fed. I have to warn them—no, no what am I doing? An ellipses indicates omission, which is what I think you are looking for. , the India–Pakistan issue) To extend sentences just like colons, semicolons, and three dots (e. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. SQL Developer is Java based which does not use NLS_LANG settings but SQL*Plus does, so you have to set NLS_LANG properly. This is giving me writer's block and the paper is due tomorrow. "SAMPLE - TEXT". In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. En and em dashes are longer than the hyphen. 1. Guion y raya (Hyphen and Em-dash) 9. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. In MS Word, enable Num Lock and press Ctrl + Minus Key. 6. Type another word. I use the alt code - alt+0148. Aether still appears as a poetic affectation, especially in reference to the word’s ancient Greek and Latin senses, but. An em dash is preferred to divide elements within a sentence and pack a punch. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. For example, “the years 2020–2022” or “the hours 9:00 a. ” The slash is sometimes used to convey the same meaning. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark used to connect two or more words (or parts of words) to show that they form one unit of sense—e. Usage: The em dash is used to indicate interruptions, emphasize elements, set off appositives, replace colons or semicolons, or create breaks in sentence flow. Go to the system preferences and choose "Language & Text". Any grammer Nazi's out there that have the answer, please do so ASAP. Write an en dash. Here are the code points for the Unicode dashes that are of the Common script, along with their general categories. Don’t confuse it with a hyphen (-). Improve this answer. Note that although this answer cites only CMOS, I'm fairly confident (based on experience) that most major style. For example, don’t use a dash to begin the interrupter and a comma. 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. 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. 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. Em dash: 2015 ― Horizontal bar: 2017 ‗ Double low line: 2018 ‘ Left single quotation mark: 2019 ’ Right single quotation mark: 201A ‚ Single low-9 quotation mark: 201B ‘ Single high. College communications rarely require the formal four-point ellipsis. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. True, I could work around this sentence construction entirely, although it would impact the pacing. You can use such punctuation as periods, commas, semi-colons, colons, parentheses, brackets, quotation marks, dashes, exclamation points, question marks and some others. In traditional Japanese, questions were simply punctuated with a full stop rather than a question mark. Overuse of any tool will make your writing inelegant, but using the proper tool at the right time will help you generate pages that are well crafted and precisely assembled. Don’t use end quotes between paragraphs of speech. A Hebrew period in a traditional serif face usually looks like a tiny tilted square (a diamond; ). It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. What ‽ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. These are the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). Em dashes. The en dash, which is slightly shorter, and the em dash, which is the one you can see in the previous paragraph. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. Some authorities include a space between the uncertain word and the opening parenthesis; others omit the space (as shown in the example below). 2 Answers. When a pair of em dashes sets off material ending with an exclamation point or a question mark, the mark is placed inside the dashes. AP style calls for a space on both sides of an em dash, but most other styles, including MLA and APA, omit the spaces. ”. To create interrupted dialogue that everyone will recognize as such, use an em-dash where you want to end the dialogue. Semicolons separate two independent clauses. The good news is that the ACT isn’t going to test you on the differences between the two. Mac. When a character has a sudden change of thought while speaking, an em dash is the correct punctuation to show the break. 27, 2015. It can either become: Woman: without her, man is nothing. Acting as a comma. A. Character encoding is a link between the visual representation of a character (like a registration mark or em-dash) and the bytes that store them in memory. em. Mac. g. The en dash also signifies an abrupt change. ” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. 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. 1. Minus Sign: −. The em dash (—) is twice as long as the en. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. They also establish a relationship between words and ideas. The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought. There should be no space between the en dash and the adjacent material. 4. Paréntesis (Parentheses) 10. There is a space before the first period and after the last period. 4. The verdict was unanimous — guilty. Many authors and publications choose to use a space either side of the dash, and even sometimes an en dash in place of an em dash. A colon is quieter; a dash is more emphatic and dramatic. parentheses. To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. More Punctuation Rules Read all about the most common and rare punctuation marks, from question marks to em dashes and parentheses to interrobangs. 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. 6. ”. AP refers to these simply as dashes and requires a space on either side. [4] 3. When typing, a hyphen looks like this: (-). There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash which vary in length. . Type a word. An em dash (—) is the longest of the three dashes and can be used to set off a break in the sentence, as well as add emphasis. But if you use them, you’ll find they can show up near a lot of punctuation marks besides dashes. However, since interjections are not “proper” sentences, some writers prefer to attach them to a complete sentence using a comma or, if more emphasis is desired, an em dash. At the word level, hyphens differentiate parts of words to help in readability. — Question Mark. , em dash, en dash, or hyphen), you should put the footnote marker before it. It also works for supplemental essays (SUPER useful for ones that make you write under 125 words *ahem Yale). In Arabic, which is also written from right. These marks are available in most word processors, though many people simply use single and double quotation marks: 5’ 10”. If that is the case, you will notice a space on either side of. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. If the information in parentheses has a question mark or an exclamation mark, use the punctuation mark inside the parentheses only if the sentence ends with a different mark. The report covers the period 1998–1999. Included marks are the period, comma, semi-colon, colon, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, parenthesis, and dash. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. 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. &bull First item in the list. There is no difference in meaning between fiber and fibre. No comma is implied. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. These punctuation marks may fall outside of the closing quotation mark in some cases. ” But the width of the two dashes isn’t the only thing that separates the two. En dashes are shorter than em dashes, and they indicate a range or connection between numbers or words. The change in the second description of the clock's sounds emphasizes Isaac's unease. To insert an em dash in MS Word, you must: Type a word (don’t put a space after it) Type two hyphens. 48 The En Dash, Numerals. nouns followed by numerals or letters. Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. 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. Guion Largo o Raya – Em Dash. Here are the two simple steps to type the — using Alt code from your keyboard. ; fibre everywhere else. But other style guides might say something else—so, unfortunately, there is no. Use an en dash for ranges and an em dash to separate non-essential information. In the second example below, an em dash is more common than a colon, though the use of a colon is nevertheless correct. To be effective, the exclamation point should be used in moderation. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. Comillas españolas (Angle Quotes) and Comillas inglesas (Quotation Marks) Where to Practice Using Spanish Punctuation; Find and Correct the Mistakes in the Following. It depends on one thing: trust. The Spanish names for the hyphen, en-dash and em-dash are guión, semiraya o raya menor, and raya, respectively. They also can be used to focus a reader or highlight tone within a dialog. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. Em dash: —. Informally, they separate comments that stray from the central idea of the sentence. 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). Fiber is the preferred spelling in American English, and fibre is preferred in all the other main varieties of English. First, one is longer: The em dash (—) → which is like two hyphens joined together. b) The Kingdom of Bahrain has a settled well-educated population. An em dash represents a longer pause—a bigger break—than a comma. Translation. In MS Word, enable Num Lock and press Ctrl + Minus Key. ago. (stenoscript) When used as punctuation, an en or em dash is doubled, like a long ⹀, to distinguish it from its phonetic use. Dashes set off loosely related comments and sudden breaks in thought. Intuition is important to survival: studies show that instinct can beat analytical thinking in a crisis. The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. An em dash can be used for the same purpose. Em-dashes in Place of a Semicolon. Em dashes (—) are extremely versatile. you might notice em dashes and commas getting along just fine. It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. To create the em dash on a Macintosh-based system, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. Authors can easily remember the difference. en-dash — Midsized hyphen (–) named en-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. ManhattanMss New Member. The em dash shows the break in thought and is clean and abrupt. En dashes are slightly shorter than an em dash and are used to connect numbers and words: 2000–2020, Paris–London, the score was 5–3. The exclamation point is a mark of terminal punctuation. An em dash is longer than the en. Press the space bar. Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the. 87): English learners commonly make the mistake of using em dashes incorrectly. 2. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. For more ALT codes for various signs and symbols, see ALT Codes for Miscellaneous Symbols. 8. Command (⌘) + M. When a colon and a comma. However, it depends on the usage and meaning. The Unicode standard introduced a separate character U+2015 ― HORIZONTAL BAR to be used as a quotation dash. Within moments of our first interaction — over. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. Question marks, exclamation points, and dashes fall inside or outside closing quotations. g. the first word of a subtitle. Periods (), question marks, exclamation marks, and commas are used as in English. But in that case the dash is supposed to be the length of the omitted word, not just a mere em-dash. And an example:There are 14 punctuation marks that are used in the English language. Press the Spacebar. g. The following list shows some of the most. En Dash Examples. 47 Punctuation with em dash. They are named en dashes but they are as wide as the letter N. En dash ( –) When connecting two words to signify a range, Chinese generally uses an en dash occupying the space of one character (e. Underscore: _. An en dash (the shorter dash) expresses a range of values (times, years, dollar amounts). g. 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. This makes them a useful punctuation mark when we want to convey an argument or rapid back-and-forth dialogue between characters. If your keyboard can't produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. There is nothing wrong — informally at least — with using a dash after a question. There are also some other rules regarding what to do if the title includes a question mark, ellipsis, or a colon already. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. Em dash —, in Windows, with the number keypad: Alt (hold)+ 0 1 5 1. When it displays it in the application, the dash turns into a question mark !?!?!? I then have an Export button, which writes these back to a textfile. That said, let’s look at the two dashes and what makes them different. Thanks very much for your reply, Jennifer. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5′ 10″ (read: five feet and ten inches). (If you do, up vote that answer. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. The en dash (–) is one-half the width of an em. It's a completely different use case. e. Em dashes are the longest of the common dashes (I won’t be covering 2-em and 3-em dashes in this article) and are so named because they are the width of the letter “m. If you’re operating on a Mac, the basic instructions for MS Word and Google Docs above should still apply — though you’ll have different keyboard shortcuts. What Are Dashes? – or — There are two types of dashes: en dashes and em dashes. When it comes to usage, the ellipsis resembles a couple of other punctuation marks: the dash and the colon. When the dash is used, the change in the thought or sentence structure should be evident and distinct. The em dash is a more emphatic substitute for the comma, colon, or parentheses and can be used to indicate omitted words. Trademark ™ : ALT 0153;There are three types of dashes in writing used to convey different ideas in an engaging way. This is also true for the dot part of the question mark, and exclamation mark. These two types of dashes serve different purposes: The EN dash, the shorter of the two dashes, is used to mark ranges. Type this sign on Mac, press and hold the Command (⌘) key and the hit the M key. Thoreau believes that “if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life. This type of dash is used to indicate a range, especially between numerical quantities like scores and dates. Whenever I have text surrounded by a dash symbol i. 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. Examples. Translation. When Your Punctuation Says It All (!) 364. Mabel tried, despite her. 3) The Repeating 'Em' Dash. Infographic: How to use an em dash. The correct use of em-dashes and ellipses. , I need 1 thing – money. Waggon was preferred in British English until a century ago, 1 and it still appears occasionally, but it is fast becoming archaic. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151. The dash ( — ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. En & Em Dashes While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. An em dash (—) is the longest of the three dashes and can be used to set off a break in the sentence, as well as add emphasis. The correct use of question and exclamation marks. [4] 3. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. The Space In French Punctuation. Learn more about punctuation. This little symbol is beloved. It indicates that the width of a printed matter is equal to its point size or height. The em dash is even longer and is used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon for emphasis. Just like in narrative, dashes can be used in dialogue to set off clauses within sentences. Though not necessarily a matter of punctuation, there is one important distinction between American and British usage when it comes to dates. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side. 2)”Are you OK?” is a direct question. 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. Some writers even use three or more exclamation points, lest the reader not fully grasp the significance of what is being said. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. We use ellipses to indicate omissions of words, phrases, or even whole sentences. 2, Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Point, Question Mark, Placement], is never combined with another exclamation point, question mark, period, semicolon, colon, or comma; thus, there is no comma in the first example below. 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. 89: "In modern usage, a question mark or an exclamation point—but never a comma, a colon, or a semicolon—may. The em is the longest in the dash suite. An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. em-dash — Long hyphen (—) named em-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. American usage puts the month first, followed by the day, and then the year. This is largely the result of the many different ways the comma is used. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. 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. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. . For windows, you can hold down the ‘Alt’ and ‘-‘ key and you will get an en dash. The em dash (—) is a versatile punctuation mark used to enhance the readability and clarity of written text. AP and AMA style guides are agreed: em dash goes inside the quotes, and that's your punctuation. By changing the console code page to something that does support the en dash character, such as 1252, this problem may be corrected. An em dash (—) is a punctuation mark. Dash. 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. Dashes should not be overused. 4. First type a period (or question mark or exclamation mark) immediately after the word before the ellipsis; then type three spaced ellipsis points. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. What ‽ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. “What space?”. An ellipsis is a punctuation mark consisting of three periods in a row. ”. To create an em-dash on a Windows computer, hold down the [Alt] key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad. 7 p. Em dash. — Lo siento, no lo sabía. A hyphen makes compound words. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. m. Upon firing the company’s non-salaried employees—and. Fig. Em dashes for interruptions: Use em dashes when you are interrupting the main idea of a sentence. 4. Collingwood as Mr. You will find this material in chapters 8–12. This is a common editing mark and has several uses, but its primary purpose is to separate clauses and huge parts of the sentence. Being so versatile can create confusion if overused, therefore it is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. The general rule is that a sentence ends with only one terminal punctuation mark. On the other hand, the em-dash works in full sentences and can take the place of commas, colons, and. 1. A hyphen. 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 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. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. (2) Em dashes can replace semicolons. Ron Barrett. ” Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts (skinny letters and fat letters. However, The Oxford Style Manual notes that “many British publishers use an en rule with. If the list follows the independent clause, it is best to use a colon instead. Windows. . A dash is a little horizontal line that floats in the middle of a line of text (not at the bottom; that’s an underscore).