To modify a list or a single item in a list. Make your parenthetical statements work harder with an em dash! 3. Maybe you’re even already using a parenthetical statement, and you need to add another aside to your aside (like this-see?). While you may choose more than one value-perhaps a value for a subplot or the internal genre-if you try to move your story on too many values it will become muddied and will be very hard to work with in your second draft. Here’s an example, again from The Write Structure: In more formal writing, you can use em dashes in place of parentheses when you’re making an aside comment or parenthetical statement. They can take the place of commas, parentheses, colons, ellipses, semicolons, and even-for some writers- quotation marks.Įm dash to the rescue! 2. To add an aside in place of or in addition to parentheses. They have uses both in formal and informal writing. But when do you use an em dash? What’s the benefit of it, and why do writers sometimes misuse this wonderful piece of punctuation? When Should You Use Em Dashes? 6 Places to Use an Em DashĮm dashes are versatile. Now that you know what to look for, you might start seeing them everywhere. “Stop, Lauren! I will put hot sauce on my pasta instead of marinara if I want to.” Here’s what they look like in a sentence:Īndy scanned the budgets on his desk, noting that Margot’s handwriting-and most of her work, in fact-was less than satisfactory. You’ve probably seen a lot of em dashes, maybe without ever noticing. It is used to break up a longer sentence, usually to insert a phrase into the middle or end of a sentence, to add modification phrases to a list, and sometimes to show a break in narration or conversation.Įm dashes are also known as an m dash, m-rule, long dash, or, in grammatical slang circles, “mutton.” The New York Times even called it “the bad boy or cool girl” of punctuation and a freewheeling scofflaw. Now that you can make an em dash, how do you know if you’re using it correctly? Em Dash Definition: What Is an Em Dash?Īn em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that looks like an extended dash. If you’re in a program that includes a formatting toolbar, like Microsoft Word, you can use the symbols or special characters section of your word processor and search for the em dash there.īut why hunt and peck when you can use a quick and easy keyboard shortcut? Master the keyboard shortcut, and you can make your very own em dash anytime you need one.īut beware, because with great power comes great responsibility. Second Best Option: Use the Symbols Section on Word or WordPress There is a simple shortcut that includes the dash key on your keyboard that will quickly and easily create an em dash. Best Option: Use the Em Dash Keyboard Shortcut Want that copy-and-paste em dash again? Here you go:īut you can’t be googling “em dash copy and paste” every time you need an em dash. So how do you create an em dash? You have three options: 1. This bears repeating: when you put two hyphens together, you do not create an em dash.
They stay two hyphens forever with that pesky little gap between them. Plus, on other web editors, like WordPress, Twitter, and Facebook for example, those two hyphens don’t magically become dashes of any variety. An en dash looks similar to an em dash, but they’re used in totally different situations (more on that below). Two adjacent hyphens (that’s two of these, no spaces between them: – -) combine to form an en dash, like this one: –. Warning: To correctly make an em dash on Word and other word processors, DO NOT use two consecutive hyphens or a double dash.
#How to make em dash on keyboard how to
That wasn’t so hard, right?Īnd if you want to learn how to create them for yourself-or go above and beyond and learn to use them correctly-then read on! Em Dash Keyboard Shortcuts: How Do You Make an Em Dash? No problem! Copy and Paste an Em Dash Here I don’t want to learn anything, thank you.” If that’s you, don’t fret! You have this whole guide to learn more about what an em dash is, when to use it, how it’s different than other kinds of dashes and hyphens, and how it can add style (if it’s not overused) to your writing.īut maybe you’re thinking, “I’m actually just here to copy paste an em dash. What are those things called, again? And how do I make sure I use it correctly so I don’t look like an idiot?” You’re writing an email, essay, or even-hey why not?-a book, and as you write, you think, “I need one of those long dash, double hyphen things.
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