![]() ![]() We might start with one thought and abruptly shift to another. Sometimes we may write as we think or speak: in other words, in a nonlinear way. Consider how the sentence would read if we used parentheses to express the same thing:ĭad was relaxing (well, sleeping, actually) throughout the ball game.īoth the em dash and the parentheses formats are acceptable, but the em dash offers extra movement in sentence flow if that is the desired effect of the interruption. In this way, the em dashes resemble parentheses, but their tone and effect in the sentence are subtly different. The em dash lets us interrupt a sentence with other thoughts or information without notably slowing the sentence:ĭad was relaxing-well, sleeping, actually-throughout the ball game. ![]() Speed, strength, smarts, agility-Shania’s athletic assets make her a great competitor. ![]() The handicap that had been his obstacle for so long-a prosthetic left foot-became the reason for his triumph in the end. Those who achieve their goals tend to share a common trait-a refusal to give up. The em dash can add greater emphasis to a sentence element by giving it extra pause and separation where it is introduced. Let’s look at how we can apply the em dash in our writing. In formal writing, an em dash is the width of an m and longer than both a hyphen and an en dash. In doing so, the em dash acts similarly to commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses. Subscribe to my monthly e-newsletter to receive writing and grammar tips.The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought. Improve your grammar and punctuation with Online Writing Training’s online Grammar, Punctuation and Usage course. In business writing, many writers use a hyphen instead of an en rule, but an en rule is useful because it creates more space between items. Sydney–Melbourne flights, but 45 BC – 1600 AD. show an association between two separate wordsĪccording to the Australian Style manual, an en rule is unspaced if one word or figure is linked, but spaced if there is more than one linked word on either or both sides.The en rule is half the width of an em rule, or about the width of the letter e. ![]() I used to use the traditional em rule, but have switched to the Microsoft default and like it. The weather is wonderful – how was your holiday? In business writing, many writers use the Microsoft default for a dash (textual dash). The Australian government style manual, Style manual: For Authors, Editors and Printers, recommends no spaces round the em rule. No-one-except the secretary-remembered to bring their lunch. Make sure your passport is current-you have to pay a premium to get a passport in a hurry. provide additional or explanatory information.The weather is wonderful-how was your holiday? mark an abrupt change in the direction of a sentence.You use the em rule to separate text when you: The em rule is roughly the width of a capital M and is commonly known as a dash. The Microsoft default for a dash is called the ‘textual dash’. You use a longer dash to separate information and a shorter dash to link words.Įm and en rules are sometimes called em and en dashes. Styles for em and en rules and the textual dash - em rule – textual dash – en ruleĭashes are stronger than a comma and less formal than brackets. ![]()
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