Go to the Insert menu at the top of your file, click on Symbol, and locate the em dash in the font you are using then click Insert. Type a word, type two hyphens in a row, and continue typing (no spaces before or after the hyphens). Hold down CTRL, ALT, Num Lock, and the hyphen symbol (-) together. Hold down the ALT key and type 0151 at the same time.
Making an em dash on a pc Pc#
You can enter an em dash into your document on a PC in a few different ways. Introduce words, phrases, or statements that include expressions such as that is, namely, e.g., or i.e.: Roland tends to notice those who go above and beyond their duties-i.e., those who pay attention to details even when they’re not being supervised.Ĭonnect sentences as a semicolon would: Colleen wants to be a classical musician-she currently studies the cello. (Compare to Martin, who has served as facilities manager, customer service manager, employee trainer, and floor clerk, was recently promoted to vice president of operations.) Separate a nonrestrictive relative clause within a main clause: Martin-who has served as facilities manager, customer service manager, employee trainer, and floor clerk-was recently promoted to vice president of operations. (Compare to Randy can throw a range of breaking pitches, a slider, a curveball, and a screwball.) Separate appositives that contain commas: Randy can throw a range of breaking pitches-a slider, a curveball, and a screwball. The em dash can be used for the following functions as well. In writing, the em dash allows us to express such rapid changes: 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.
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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.
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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. The em dash in American English is a punctuation mark that helps to convey emphasis, introduction, interruption, or a swift change of thought.