The em dash also acts as the longest stop or pause in a sentence compared to the other three dashes, which all serve to join parts of sentences rather than break up a sentence and stop the reader. An en dash surrounded by spaces achieves the same effect as an em dash with no spaces, but typographically it is less disruptive. They can also be used to indicate an unfinished number range. The en dash is neglected by many writers except as a substitute for an em dash, and even then it is increasingly replaced with a hyphen to mark a pause or parenthesis, especially online and, less commonly, in print journalism. Although many people call the hyphen a dash, dash refers to another group of horizontal lines in text. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes. Specifically, the en dash is used when signifying a range of numbers or other values.
On the other hand, the em dash is usually used in places where a comma could also be used. If you have a kindle or any other ebook reader, you are in luck. An en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. In appearance, an en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen, approximately the width of a capital n, while an em dash is slightly longer than an en dash. The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar in appearance to the hyphen and minus sign but differs from these symbols in length and, in some fonts, height above the baseline. The difference between a colon and a dash is pretty subtle. There are many uses of the en and em dash and also many ways to form these dashes using your computer. Start here for quick tips to get punctuation on track for you or your students. Identifying how an emdash is used and actually using one in your own writing are two different things, the latter being trickier. There are two different kinds of dashes, the em dash, and the en dash. This was a big debate between my editor and me when i was writing my book.
En dashes the en dash is so called because its length is the same as the letter n. Punctuation semicolons, colons, parentheses, dash, brackets, underlining italics, and hyphens worksheet directions. An em dash is longer than an en dash and three times as long as a hyphen. When should i use an emdash, an endash, and a hyphen. This explanation is not intended to be exhaustive for much more, see chapter 6 in cmos, but i do hope that it helps to frame the different potential of each length of dash. How to insert an en dash or em dash in microsoft word. School is based on the three rsreading, writing, and rithmetic.
And yes, the en dash is named because its the width of the letter n. The widths of en and em dashes have also been specified as being equal to those of the uppercase letters n and m respectively, and at other times to the widths of the lowercase letters. Generally speaking, the en dash is used to combine, connect, or set items into proportion. Use em dashes to set off parenthetical information. An en dash or en rule is wider than a hyphen and narrower than an em dash. In modern fonts, the length of the en dash is not standardized, and the en dash is often more than half the width of the em dash. Lets talk about the difference between the en dash and the em dash.
It can be helpful, when reading or writing, to think of the word to when you see or use an en dash. Em dash thats the long dash, and as grammarist says, em dashes set apart parenthetical phrases or clauses in a sentence. It can be used as an appositive explanation or for emphasis. Em dash this is the dash that was used all throughout the dash section of this packet. Because they are, respectively, the width of an m and an n. The em dash is the widest of the three dashes its the size of an uppercase m. Can you spot any errors in the use of the hyphen, the en dash, or the em dash in the following sentences. The hyphen, en dash, and em dash look similar but are of different lengths. Otherwise, you may find yourself guilty of making funny punctuation mistakes. Only the hyphen receives a dedicated key on most computer keyboards.
The dash can also be used to mark off words or statements that are not important to the meaning of the statement. She is an inductee in the podcasting hall of fame, and the show is a fivetime winner of best education podcast in the podcast awards. Figuratively speaking, the hyphen pulled the short end of the stick. Em dashes so called because they are at least historically the width of the character m are used for emphasis or interruption. The blue book of grammar and punctuation an easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples. It is useful and versatile, and too few writers make use of it. Indicating ranges the en dash is used to indicate a range, such as a range of numbers. The farlex grammar book english punctuation dashes dashes what is a dash. Louis hector berlioz the function of the en dash the main function of the en dash is to show ranges. The use of dashes is inconsistent in lots of writing regardless of how professional the writers are. Mastering hyphens and dashes invisible ink editing. In this use, em dashes are similar to commas and parentheses, but there are subtle differences. Read also about the difference between dashes and hyphens.
Learn how and when to use dashes with examples and esl worksheet. En dashes connect continuing numbers, such as dates, times and pages. Its alphabetical cousin, the en dash, is about the same width as the letter n. En dash definition of en dash by the free dictionary. Insert the proper punctuation marks in the following sections.
They sound very similar and look very similar but they are used in different ways. I didnt think i would enjoy reading about grammar or, well, usage but oh, how i did. Dont leave the two hyphens if they dont merge to form the em dash. Style guides differ in their recommendations regarding whether or not to use spaces before and after the en dash. It can replace commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context of the sentence.
When using the hyphen, the en dash, or the em dash, mostbut not allstyle books advocate. They can be used on their own or in pairs to offset a word or phrase. The en dash is used to represent a span of time or dates, or a range of numbers. To show how to wield this handy punctuation mark, ill start by comparing two sentences.
Feb 6, 2012 explore realgrammargirls board grammar girl. The two most common dashes are the em dash and the en dash. The dash is one of the most important punctuation marks in the english language. An em dash is used as you indicated in your questionto separate out some information. For example, em dashes are used when a parenthetical remark contains an internal comma or would otherwise sound awkward if enclosed by commas. Iea style guide international association for the evaluation of.
Dashes replace otherwise mandatory punctuation, such as the commas after iowa and 20 in the following examples without dash. I have seen both en dashes and em dashes used in serious typograhy news papers, books. The dash can also be used in places where a comma would be typically used. This useful 48page ebook addresses the most commonly asked questions regarding punctuation. The most common versions of the dash are the en dash, longer than a hyphen. Dashes are used to extend a sentence to replace colons, semicolons, or three dots. Against all odds, petethe unluckiest man alivewon the lottery. In your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. How to use the hyphen, en dash and em dash ndash mdash, n. As you can see, the em dash is the longest of the three, and roughly the width of the letter m, which is how it got its name. Em dashes are often used to set off parenthetical information. Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. En dash is the slightly wider brother of the hyphen, yet it is narrower than the em dash. If all else fails, copy and paste the dash from another document, such as this page.
Im not a native englishspeaker, so naturally i learned a lot from this book. Louis hector berlioz time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils. The hyphen, em dash and en dash crop up all the time while youre using microsoft word, but most of us dont know why and we use the different dashes inconsistently. An em dash is typically used as a standin for a comma or parenthesis to separate out phrasesor even just a wordin a sentence for various reasons e.
Grammar girl xvii introduction xix 1grammar 1 finding subjects and verbs 1. This grammar lesson offers an explanation on the correct use of dashes and gives examples of dashes used in sentences. Think of a colon as part of the sentence that just ambles along. True or falsethe em dash can take the place of commas, semicolons, colons, and. If you are uncertain how to insert an en dash symbol, you can use a hyphen instead. In most american print and ebooks, correct em dash formation is done by using two hyphens with no spacing, which then becomes an em dash also called the long dash in most word processing programs as you continue typing. The may 1, 20, edition of the ames sentinel arrived in june. Grammar is normally boring, or at least presented in a boring way. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girl s quick and dirty tips for better writing. Depending on the sentence, the emdash can have a similar function to. The esteemed oxford university press style guide explains how to use both the em and en dashes, so we can assume that at least this authoritative source advocates using both. Hyphens, en dashes, em dashes the chicago manual of.
To replace a colon, for instance, compare these sentences. It is the longest dash, compared to a hyphen or an en dash. Dont replace the second emdash as some tend to with a comma or semicolon. The en dash is a bit shorter than the em dash and serves a vastly different purpose when it comes to punctuation rules.
Dashes 68 en dash em dash 4 capitalization 70 beginning a sentence or quoted sentence proper nouns. It is shorter than an em dash and longer than a hyphen. Also, the em dash may serve as a sort of bullet point, as in this todo list. Style refers to the forms of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other elements of.
The method of inserting the other marks varies based on. Hyphens and dashes worksheet answers in a learning moderate can be utilized to test pupils capabilities and knowledge by answering questions. Telecharger ou lire en ligne the high tide club livre gratuit pdf epub. In general, the use of the em dash to provide additional information is used when the information is surprising, or the. When to use a hyphen, an en dash or an em dash pr daily. True or falsethe en dash is longer than the em dash. En dashes are longer than a hyphen, but half the length of the em dash. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. The following explanations offer the most common uses and methods for forming these dashes. It is used for periods of time when you might otherwise use to examples. Know your dashes writers write editing writing, writing.
1120 1088 1229 1281 98 1094 77 699 399 1519 1154 956 596 1190 569 413 1415 174 1469 915 548 457 1473 151 1126 287 1026 735 1038 657 1289 1171 616 253 756 261 1099 949 354 1184