![]() ![]() To indicate an em dash, type two hyphens in a row (–). I’m going to stay healthy – knock on wood. When using an en dash in this way, there are always spaces on either side. In fact, the en dash is preferred to the em dash by the Oxford Style Guide. In British English, the en dash can be used like an em dash. Always check with your style guide, publisher, or teacher. For example, MLA and Chicago dictate not to use spaces (as in the examples above), whereas AP Style prefers them. Whether or not to use spaces around an em dash depends on style. I have to go to the bank-no wait, I went yesterday.My mom-she couldn’t sleep last night-is so grouchy today.I wanted to go shopping-I need a new dress-but I ran out of time.Use an en dash or parentheses to indicate a break in the train of thought or, according to Chicago, to add an “amplifying or explanatory element.” The Em dash, often just called a dash, is the most common of the dashes, according to the Chicago Manual of Style.Įm dashes indicate a break in a sentence and can take the place of commas, parentheses, and colons. In many cases, particularly in less formal writing, writers will rely on hyphens to do the job of the en dash. On a PC laptop or Chromebook, your best bet is to go to Insert>Special Character in your word processor. On a PC Desktop, type Ctrl+ the minus key on the alphanumeric pad (it must be the minus key on the alphanumeric pad). to 6:00 p.m.Īdditionally, en dashes can also be used for other purposes, such as to connect two words that have equal weight or to show conflict or contrast between two ideas. The word “from” should always be paired with the word “to.” The Chicago Manual of Style and other guides warn not to use the en dash if the word “from” precedes the first number. The store’s hours are 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.īe careful, though.The conference will take place on October 20–22.Please read chapters 5–8 for next week’s discussion.They are longer than hyphens (-) but shorter than em dashes (-). The En DashĮn dashes (–) are used to indicate a range of numbers, dates, or times. You likely know where it is already-top right, between the 0 and the +. The hyphen is the only one of these punctuation marks to get its own button on the standard QWERTY keyboard. For example, “My name is Michael, spelled M-I-C-H-A-E-L.” How to type a hyphen Hyphens are also used to separate numbers, such as phone numbers and Social Security numbers. For example, “thoughtfully composed” and “shabbily dressed” do not need hyphens. The MLA Handbook recommends against using a hyphen after any adverb ending in -ly. “Use a hyphen in a compound adjective beginning with an adverb such as better, best, ill, lower, little, or well when the adjective precedes a noun.” This helps to clarify the meaning of the sentence and avoid confusion.įor example, “a well-known actor” includes the compound adjective “well-known,” which modifies the noun “actor.” Hyphens are used in compound adjectives to connect two or more words together to create a single adjective that modifies a noun. Similar to the en dash, the em dash is so named for being the length of the letter “m.” The Hyphen The em dash (-) is the longest of the three marks and is used to create a strong break in a sentence, often to indicate a change in tone or thought, such as “I went to the concert-although I really didn’t want to-just to make my partner happy.” The en dash was originally named for being the width of the letter “n,” though in many fonts today, this may not be entirely accurate. ![]() The en dash (–) is slightly longer than a hyphen and is used to indicate a range, a tally, or a connection between two things, such as “November 9–12,” “the vote was 48–52,” or “the New York–London flight.” For example, “short-term,” or “hard-and fast.” Key TakeawaysĪ hyphen (-) is a short punctuation mark used to connect two or more words together, creating compound words. ![]() In this article, we explain ‘em all - hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes - with examples of each. And did you know that there are two kinds of dash? That’s right, there are en dashes and em dashes. The hyphen and the dash are commonly confused and misunderstood punctuation marks. ![]()
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