Use an Em Dash to Bring Focus to a List. When a sentence begins with an independent clause and ends with a list, you can use a colon between the clause and the list. When the list comes first, it’s better to use a dash to connect the list to the clause.
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How do you use a long dash 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.
How do you type an elongated dash?
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.
How do you do a long dash in English?
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 is the long dash in writing called?
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. American usage, in contrast, uses two consecutive hyphens — like this (A).
How do you use dashes in writing?
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). It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does.
How do I make a long dash in Word?
Fortunately, there are three easy methods:
- Press [Ctrl]+[Alt]+-.
- Hold down the [Alt] key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad.
- Choose Symbol from the Insert menu, click the Special Characters tab, highlight the em dash, and click Insert.
How do I 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).
Do you put spaces around em dashes?
The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis.Spacing around an em dash varies. Most newspapers insert a space before and after the dash, and many popular magazines do the same, but most books and journals omit spacing, closing whatever comes before and after the em dash right up next to it.
How do you use an em dash and an en dash?
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.
Why use a dash in a sentence?
Use dashes to set off an idea or an appositive within a sentence. A dash (—) is a punctuation mark used to set off an idea within a sentence and may be used alone or in pairs. Dashes interrupt a thought in a more dramatic way than a phrase enclosed in commas, but less theatrically than parentheses.
How do you use dashes in dialogue?
The main things to remember are: Use an em dash if the speaker stops mid-word, in the same way as you’d use a hyphen. Put it inside the closing quotation marks. Use an em dash if the speaker’s able to complete a word, but someone or something stops them before they finish their thought.
When should I use a dash between words?
Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out.
Can you use dashes instead of commas?
Use Dashes in Place of a Comma
Em dashes can be used in pairs to replace commas when writing a parenthetical or interruptive phrase. The dashes have a slightly more emphatic feel, making the reader focus on this information that is set inside the special marks.
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 Outlook?
If you want your Outlook email to automatically insert a long dash, also known as an “em dash,” when you type two hyphens together, go into Word’s “Tools” menu and choose “AutoCorrect Options.” Under “Replace as You Type,” check the “Hyphens with Dash” option.
How do I insert an em dash in Gmail?
After the Compose key is enabled, you can create an em dash by typing the Compose key followed by three hyphens. Alternatively, press Control+Shift+u , then let go of those keys, then type 2014 , and then press Return .
How do you type an em dash on a Chromebook?
In the menu at the top, click Insert then Special Characters. In the next window, set options on left to Punctuation and on right to Dash/Connector. Select em dash and close the window. The em dash is inserted.
Should I put a space before and after a dash?
The dash (–) is used to set off additional material within a sentence, often in order to emphasize it, to set off appositives that contain commas, or to indicate missing words.When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash.
How do you use an em dash in Chicago style?
In Chicago style, the em dash—with no space on either side—is preferred.
How do I format an em dash?
In any software program that handles text, the em dash can be typed on an enhanced keyboard as Alt + 0151—that is, hold down the “alternate” key and, using the numerical pad on the right side of the keyboard, type the numbers 0151. The en dash can be typed as Alt + 0150.