Em dashes and en dashes (— vs. –)
- The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.”
- The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
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How do you use long dashes in a sentence?
The em dash can be used in place of a colon when you want to emphasize the conclusion of your sentence. The dash is less formal than the colon. After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict—guilty. The white sand, the warm water, the sparkling sun—this is what brought them to Fiji.
When to use a dash or hyphen in a sentence?
The dash is often used after an independent clause. The hyphen, on the other hand, is used to join two words together like yellow-green. It usually does not have a space between the words. Also, the dash tends to be slightly longer than the hyphen, and usually would have spaces before and after the symbol.
What is the difference between a long and short dash?
Those long straight lines draw your eye and hold your attention. But long dashes aren’t just show-offs. They insert information into a sentence and introduce lists.Short dashes show a range or connect words when the word to or and is implied.
How do you do the long dash?
Windows
- For an em-dash, hold down the Alt key and type 0151, then release the Alt key. That’s it!
- For an en-dash, hold down the Alt key and type 0150, then release the Alt key. Pretty simple, right?
How do I make a long dash in Word?
Inserting an em or en dash using Ctrl and keyboard shortcuts. To insert an em dash, click where you want to insert the em dash and then press Ctrl + Alt + – (minus sign on the numeric keypad). To insert an en dash, click where you want to insert the en dash and then press Ctrl + – (minus sign on the numeric keypad).
What does an em dash look like?
It can add a spice—or a dash, if you will—to a sentence by adding emphasis to certain words and phrases. I am talking about the em-dash, which looks like two hyphens connected into one long line. Depending on the sentence, the em-dash can have a similar function to parentheses, colons, commas, and even semicolons.
What is the longer dash called?
em dash
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another.
What is a semicolon used for?
Semicolons with independent clauses
Use a semicolon to join two related independent clauses in place of a comma and a coordinating conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet). Make sure when you use the semicolon that the connection between the two independent clauses is clear without the coordinating conjunction.
Should I use a colon or a dash?
Although they also have other uses, dashes and colons can both be used to introduce the next part of a sentence, and the difference between the two marks is subtle. A dash is a stronger and more informal mark than a colon. Think of a colon as part of the sentence that just ambles along.
What does long hyphen mean?
The em dash (—) sets off a word or clause and adds emphasis. Or, it can signal an interruption (see our article on interrupting sentences for more on that!) or amplification (“expanding”) of an idea. It’s also the longest of the dashes (e.g., hyphen, en dash).
What does a long dash mean in grammar?
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause.
Is extra long hyphenated?
When you use extra as an adverb meaning very, you usually don’t need a hyphen to join it to the word it modifies:You do need a hyphen, however, when extra is part of a compound modifier preceding the word it modifies: We’re planning extra-special holidays this year.
How do you make a long dash in Google Docs?
While in a Google Doc on Chrome, on any laptop or desktop computer, go to Insert | Special Characters and type Em Dash in the search box. The first search result shown in the grid of characters will be the em dash; select it to insert it. You can also search, select, and insert an em dash (Figure A).
How do I make a long dash in Google Docs?
Press the em dash keyboard shortcut in Google Docs
Press the NumLock key. Open a Google Docs document to add the em dash to. Then hold the Alt key and type the code 0151 on the numeric keypad to add the em dash.
How do you type a hyphen on a laptop?
To create a hyphen using a U.S. keyboard, press the hyphen key. It’s on the same key as the underscore ( _ ), to the right of the zero key. The hyphen is easier to use on the numeric keypad with math formulas.
How do you insert a long dash in PowerPoint?
To insert an em dash on a PowerPoint slide using Alt:
- Display the slide on which you want to insert an em dash.
- Position the cursor in a text box, placeholder, table cell or shape where you want to insert a check mark symbol.
- Press and hold Alt + 0151 or Alt + 8212 on the numeric keypad.
How do you make a long dash in Word on a Mac?
Inserting an em-dash in Word. For Mac: press “option+shift+hyphen key”. Word will automatically convert it to an em-dash.
How do you write an em dash in writing?
Em dashes are often used to set off parenthetical information. Using em dashes instead of parentheses puts the focus on the information between the em dashes. For this usage, make sure you use two em dashes. Use one before the parenthetical information and one after it.
Do you capitalize after an em dash?
Don’t capitalize after a dash unless it’s a proper noun that follows. Second—and I’m going to be pedantic here—those examples don’t use proper dashes for what they’re trying to convey. There are two kinds of dashes: en and em. Em dashes are longer and have no spaces before or after—like this.
How do you type an em dash on a keyboard?
Make an em dash or en dash with a keyboard shortcut
less simple: you need to use an alt code to get an em dash. If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an em dash or 0150 for an en dash.