To quickly form an em dash using your Mac, simultaneously hold the Shift, Option, and Minus keys. There are several different ways to form an em dash using codes. Now, what was I looking for-oh, right! My prescription. This technique is best used in creative or informal writing.Īs I was saying-Katie, no, put the scissors down!-kids can be quite the handful. Particularly useful when writing dialogue, an em dash can be used to indicate interjections or changes in thought mid-sentence. To Indicate an Interruption or Change in Thought Wine, roses, chocolate-all see a sharp rise in sales when Valentine’s Day rolls around.ĭogs, cats, horses-Kelly loved all animals, as one could easily see upon entering her backyard. Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris-some of the best white wines come from the Alsace region of France. This helps to focus multiple items into one idea, and it’s also easier for readers to comprehend. When a sentence begins with a list, an em dash is better suited for separating the list than a colon. If you have any questions, call my sister-Anna, not Sarah-and she’ll be able to help you. The four styles of writing-expository, descriptive, narrative, and persuasive-are usually taught to students in grade school. The three of us-my mother, father, and I-left early this morning for the airport. Using two em dashes can alleviate the problem. To Set Apart Appositives Containing CommasĪppositives are bits of extra information that are added into a sentence for clarification or elaboration.Ĭommas are usually used to indicate appositives, but if an appositive itself contains commas, the sentence can get confusing. Tina had to admit-even if she hated to-that Mark had been right all along. Things just weren’t the same without Silvano-our cheerful, singing neighbor-to watch over the neighborhood. Greta rose early-as she did every morning-and prepared breakfast for her husband. Smith (our family dentist) at the supermarket today. Smith, our family dentist, at the supermarket today. Note that this sentence could also be written using commas: Smith-our family dentist-at the supermarket today. In this case, two em dashes are needed-but avoid using more than two em dashes per sentence, as this can result in more confusion than clarification.
To Include Parenthetical InformationĮm dashes are often used to include parenthetical information within sentences, since they put more emphasis on the information in between. When to Use an Em DashĪn em dash (or em dash es) can be used in a number of situations to increase clarity or give emphasis to certain words.
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(Likewise, the en dash is about the length of an N).īy learning when and how to properly use the em dash, you can bring added clarity and style to your work. Longer than an en dash and three times longer than a hyphen, the em dash (-) is named for its length, as it’s roughly the width of the capital letter M. If you’re not using em dashes in your writing, you’re missing out on a very versatile punctuation that can replace commas, parentheses, or colons-not to mention they look pretty cool, too.
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