Thursday, August 1, 2013

How and When to Use en and em dashes


For the best, most comprehensive understanding of how and when to use en and em dashes visit GrammarBook.com

En Dash -- An en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. It is used for periods of time when you might otherwise use to. It is also used in place of a hyphen when combining open compounds.

Most authorities recommend using no spaces before or after en or em dashes. To form an en dash with most PCs, type the first number or word, then hold down the ALT key while typing 0150 on the numerical pad on the right side of your keyboard. Then type the second number or word.

The em dash is the width of an m, and should be used sparingly in formal writing. However, for informal writing, you may wish to use em dashes to "replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought," according to GrammarBook.com. Be sure to study the examples for each.

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To form an em dash on most PCs, type the first word, then hold down the ALT key while typing 0151 on the numerical pad on the right side of your keyboard. Then type the second word. You may also form an em dash by typing the first word, hitting the hyphen key twice, and then typing the second word. Your program will turn the two hyphens into an em dash for you," according to GrammarBook.com  instructions.