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. A small window is displayed so you know that openoffice. On a windowsbased system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the alt key and typing 0151. But that results in really bad line breaks, especially when word is long.
C on a mac in your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. 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. If you use an em dash with most word processing programs, you will consistently run into problems with the dash and surrounding text being treated as single words. Use an em dash to set off a parenthetical phrase with more emphasis than parentheses provide. If you are uncertain how to insert an en dash symbol, you can use a hyphen instead. An em dash sets off one part of a sentence from the rest of the sentence. The method of inserting the other marks varies based on your word processor hyphen. If you want to use en dashes instead of hyphens, insert a space before the hyphen. For more helpful tips like this, sign up for my free newsletter at. An em dash may be used to indicate omitted letters in a word redacted to an initial or single letter or to fillet a word, by leaving the start and end letters whilst replacing the middle letters with a dash or dashes for the purposes of censorship or simply data anonymization. Word vba macro replace longhypens emdash to minus sign.
With a simple trick for touchscreen keyboards, its easy to use the ndash and mdash on a phone or tablet. Alternatively, you can insert these special characters using the insert symbol menu. How to convert pdf to word without software duration. Most keyboards and software programs lack the em dash, therefore it must be created by using a special function key supported by the software program or by entering two hyphens. Figuratively speaking, the hyphen pulled the short end of the stick. I have tried using thinspaces on the sides on the em dash by kindle treats even that as one word. It can replace commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context of the sentence. Hi optycal, in any windows application, you can create an em dash by holding the alt key down and entering 0151 with the numeric keypad.
Although all reasonably new versions of ms word support unicode, there are. Whenever you want an endash, touch the spacebar, type nand touch the spacebar. I have yet to see a case where using a hyphen in place of an endash causes confusion, so i dont worry too much about endashes. This was a big debate between my editor and me when i was writing my book. Ap style calls for a space on both sides of an em dash, but most other styles, including mla and apa, omit the spaces. You need to find the character, and then you need to find a way to enter it. Hyphen, en dash or em dash a hyphen is used to connect two words that function as a particular concept, or when linked together form a particular modifier. After writing about how the ndash and mdash are used, i thought i should add something about how to insert the ndash and mdash quickly in microsoft word microsoft word can create the ndash and mdash automatically while you type.
The hyphen, en dash, and em dash look similar but are of different lengths. Dashes, if used incorrectly, can actually confuse readers not just bother detailoriented editors. To create the em dash on a macintoshbased system, hold down the shift and option keys and press the minus key. A hyphen is also used to separate syllables of a word when there is a line break, though this was more prevalent when type was set by hand rather than electronically. Type in two hyphens, highlight it, and press the box at the top of the screen called symbols. This is a good thing given how complicated the hyphenation rules are. Dont leave the two hyphens if they dont merge to form the em dash. It is best to limit the use of em dashes to two per sentence, to avoid confusion. After disabling the autocorrect option, youll have to enter an em dash manually. In the symbol dialog box, click the em dash, and then click insert. Only the hyphen receives a dedicated key on most computer keyboards. Documentationhow tosinserting en and em dashes apache.
Insert three em dashes in the place of a repeating authors name in a bibliography. The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar in appearance to the hyphen and minus sign but. Em dash definition of em dash by the free dictionary. How to insert an en dash or em dash in microsoft word. Use insert special characters to open the special characters dialog. Em dash this is the dash that was used all throughout the dash section of this packet. A hyphen is a standard key on the keyboard of a computer. 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.
Before discovering this, i used to type in a double dash and then open up the replace function, search for the double dash in the first box what you want to replace, then move to the second box what you want inserted instead, then hit special at the bottom of the page, and insert em dash or en dash, depending on what i wanted. Likewise, if the author types two hyphens to represent an em dash, the double hyphen will be converted to a proper em dash. The information in your spreadsheetnumbers, formulas, and textis stored in cells. The em dash can be used in much the way you would use a colon or a set of parentheses. En dash this dash is slightly longer than a hyphen but is still smaller than an em. The em dash is made on most pcs by holding down the alt key while typing 0151 on the keypad. In your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. Four ways to insert an em dash in a word document techrepublic. The en dash is used in ranges, such as 610 years, read as six to ten years. This opens the word options dialog box, where you can customize your word settings and preferences. This is what i use in writing, but i have a slight gap between my en dash and dash to make my em dash. When you need an em dash, you can let word enter it for you the easy way.
And yes, the en dash is named because its the width of the letter n. If you begin a line with an em dash or ellipsis, the only reason you would insert a space before is to drive your editor nuts. Storyline allows you to insert symbols from a character map into text boxes, captions, shapes, buttons, and other objects. How to use microsoft word to put an accent on an e.
The em dash signals an interruption in the sentence. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. It can show an abrupt change in thought or be used where a period is too strong and a comma too weak. The practice of using two hyphens for a dash is a holdover from the days of typewriters. Some settings in the word options dialog box apply only to word.
A writers use of dashes hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes is one of the typographical elements that jump out at editors. The em dash, which is what many people, like myself are getting frustrated with, when writing, need an em dash, the width of a capital m. Cant type certain contractions in outlook 2011 i too am having this exact same problem, but i am finding it is happening when the smart dash substitution is activated. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services. If your word document has an em dash or en dash and you want to remove it, do one of the following. Word will automatically convert the hyphen into an en dash. Type a space, type dash dash and touch the spacebar. If you are using a typewriter, a pair of hyphens is the closest you can get to an em dash. Whilst reading novels, you will see the longer em dash used. Pdf is not a format that lends itself to big editing. Emdash definition of emdash by the free dictionary. The length of the em dash corresponds to the width of the letter m.
To insert an em dash, you need to find that character in the font youve selected. Imagine replacing the em dashes in the sentences above with. The instructions for inserting an em dash in word 2007 are on pages 26 27. How to use hyphen, en dash or em dash correctly grammarist. An em dash is the word processing name for a long dash in a sentence, which marks a break in thought, similar to a comma but stronger. Em, em space, en dash, hyphen, word processor terms. You could reprogram things to recognize em dashes in those scenarios, but the standard behavior exists because of the way the vast majority of people perceive text. Em dashes differ from other hyphens and dashes not only in usage, which we will discuss shortly, but also in appearance.
If that approach doesnt suit your needs, try one of three manual methods. See tips for inserting the ndash or mdash in microsoft word. Welcome to part one of a threepart series about horizontal fun in the punctuation department. Emdashes, often known simply as dashes, get their name from typography. A long dash often called an emdash because it is the width of a letter m is what we will be talking about below. When you use autocorrect options, you can also click stop automatically creating dashes, or click control autocorrect options to open the autocorrect dialog box. Most folks know about the hyphen, but fewer are familiar with the em dash and the en dash. En dash according to wikipedia, the en dash, or n dash, nrule, etc. Historically, the names of en dash and em dash came from the width of a. Ndash or en dash automatically created in word when you type something something wordspacehyphen.
Find the dash and press it so it will convert the two hyphens into a dash. Its alphabetical cousin, the en dash, is about the same width as the letter n. Can i use the endash or emdash in twitter or facebook. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes. Similarly, an endash is about the width of the letter n. A symbol used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis.
The hyphenminus keyboard hyphen, en dash, em dash, and mathematical minusnegative symbols are different see wp. Microsoft word underlines the em dash before tato and wants to put a space between the end of the dash and tato. Use tools macros record macro to start recording a macro. Creating an en dash prevents typing in outlook 2011 split from. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Creating an en dash prevents typing in outlook 2011. It is the longest dash, compared to a hyphen or an en dash. If all else fails, copy and paste the dash from another document, such as this page. You can help protect yourself from scammers by verifying that the contact is a microsoft agent or microsoft employee and that the phone number is an official microsoft global customer service number.
Learn how to insert an em dash, an en dash, or a variety of other symbols into a document using mac os x. You can also copy and paste the dashes from another. En and em dashes and hyphens one thing editors do is to fuss with punctuation, especially dashes. An em dash is slightly wider than the width of the capital letter m in the existing font and font size. Similar to an extended hyphen, an em dash is used to show a break in thought or a shift of tone. Here are a couple more ways to use the em dash dash than previously stated. Creating em dash in word perfect 10 solutions experts. However, you may find that en and em dashes display as hyphens. When and how to use the dash, the en dash, and the em dash.
Correct em dash formation for ebooks and what about the. In fact, the em dash is named after its lengthits about the same width as the capital letter m. Through this series, youll learn the difference between these marks and when to use which one. Use your keyboard to navigate your document, ribbon, or menus, and also select, format, and edit text and graphics in your documents.
The chicago manual of style online offers a good guide for determining when to use an em dash or an. Many modern word processors will automatically insert an em dash when you type a pair of hyphens. A hyphen is produced by a simple keystroke on your keyboard. To mimic an en dash, type 2012 where you want the dash to appear. Imagine that last sentence with the emdash replaced with a hyphen. Its a littleknown fact that dashes come in different sizes. The biggest source of confusion comes from using a hyphen where you intend to use an emdashand this happens all the time. How to use the hyphen, en dash and em dash ndash mdash, n. Ama manual of style, and dorlands medical reference works use hyphens, not en. For more on hyphens and dashes, you can consult the online chicago manual of style. Its quite janitorial in nature, but i suppose much of editing is. I have the latest version of microsoft word, i have checked to make sure that the auto correct option for replace hyphens with dash is check off, yet i still can not create an em dash. An em dash is the longest dash, often called simply the dash, but also called the em rule or the long dash. One is called the en dash and one is called the em dash.