Here the use of em dashes is appropriate because we are trying to stress the significance of the parenthetical information. No one-not even the chief financial officer-realized the company was insolvent! Or alternatively, use em dashes when using commas would create confusion because other commas are already present in the sentence. And finally, use em dashes to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence. Use commas to enclose parenthetical information that is related to the sentence’s independent clause but not essential. Use parentheses to downplay significance and suggest to the reader that the information is helpful but not necessary. But, there are subtle differences between these. Parenthetical information should be enclosed inside parentheses, commas, or em dashes. Remember, we use commas to enclose parenthetical information, and we use em dashes for the same reason. Unsurprisingly, it gets its name from the fact that it is about as wide as the letter “M.” A good mental shortcut is to remember to use the em dash where a comma simply doesn’t provide a strong enough break in the sentence. The em dash is the longest of the three punctuation marks, and it has great versatility. In Microsoft Word, you have to insert a special character from the insert symbol menu to create a proper en dash. It literally means the same thing as the word “through.” We use it most commonly to indicate dates and numbers are inclusive: September 1–9 or pages 25–35.Ĭomputer keyboards do not have individual keys for the en and em dash. It gets its name from the fact that the dash is about as wide as the letter “N.” En dash usage is quite simple. The en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen but not as long as the em dash. Using hyphens to create compounds is a complicated issue that we will cover in more depth in a separate blog post. But technically, the minus sign sits a little bit lower than the hyphen. Most of us use the hyphen when we need to indicate subtraction in algebraic expressions and equations. The hyphen is the shortest of the three, and it is used most commonly to combine words to create compounds: “well-being,” “long-term solution,” and “up-to-date user manual.” On a computer keyboard, the hyphen is located one key to the right of the zero. Each horizontal mark functions quite differently, so let’s explore their uses, starting with the shortest of the three. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).There is, rightfully so, a lot of confusion around three horizontal punctuation marks of varying lengths: the hyphen, the “en” dash, and the “em” dash. On a Mac, simultaneously press Option, Shift, + hyphen.įinally, according to the APA Style rules, neither en nor em dashes have spaces before or after the symbol (APA, 2020, p. To create an em dash on a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0151 on the numberpad of the keyboard. Also, "overuse of the em dash weakens the flow of material" (APA, 2020, p. In general, em dashes should be avoided in formal writing because they are often used in place of necessary punctuation, parentheses, or further explanation. The em dash, which is approximately as wide as a typed "m", "set[s off an element added to amplify or digress from the main clause" (APA, 2020, p. On a Mac, press simultaneously press Option + hypen. The en dash, which is approximately as wide as a typed letter "n" and slightly longer than a hyphen, can be used in place of the word "to" in a numerical range (e.g., November–January or 1960s–1980s) or "between words of equal weight in a compound adjective (e.g., Chicago–London flight)" (American Psychological Assocation, 2020, p.157). To create an en dash on a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0150 on the number pad of your keyboard. Are you a dasher? Many people frequently use the dash in informal communication, but it's a good idea to know how to use the two types of dashes correctly in more formal writing.
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