The en dash is slightly longer than the hyphen but not as long as the em dash. Use an en dash to represent a span or range of numbers, like. If youre not sure what all those dashes are or how to use them, this video clearly explains the differences between the hyphen. Aug 22, 2017 the hyphen, en dash and em dash are different lengths, and only the hyphen can be found on your computer keyboard, right next to the zero. The en dashs primary function is to indicate a range of inclusive numbers. But it is far too strong to use words like incorrect and error for spans that are stated with hyphens. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes. Daily tips for successful writing from grammar girl by.
How wordpress handles dashes and hyphens mark on wordpress. The following explanations offer the most common uses and methods for forming these dashes. To replace a colon, for instance, compare these sentences. The en dash is a bit shorter than the em dash and serves a vastly different purpose when it comes to punctuation rules. If you added a dash to the hobbies sentence it would conceptually read something like this.
The en dash is much less versatile than the em dash and is therefore used much less frequently. Thousands of childrenlike the girl in this photographhave been left homeless. The en dash is a little longer, and the em dash is longer than that. School is based on the three rsreading, writing, and rithmetic. Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes sbl handbook of style. Depending on the sentence, the emdash can have a similar function to parentheses, colons, commas, and even semicolons. It can be helpful, when reading or writing, to think of the word to when you see or use an en dash. It is the longest dash, compared to a hyphen or an en dash. Mar 11, 2018 this feature is not available right now. It is used to emphasize a word or set of words in the sentence. If a compound adjective comprises more than two words, we use as many hyphens as are needed.
When should i use an emdash, an endash, and a hyphen. An em dash, or long dash, is used in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence. It is, in fact, the width of a typesetters letter n, whereas the em dash is the width of the letter mthus their names. En dashes the en dash is so called because its length is the same as the letter n. Dash a dash is used to indicate a break or a pause in the sentence. It is used for periods of time when you might otherwise use to. Because early comic book letterers were not aware of the typographic convention of replacing a typewritten double hyphen with an em dash, the double hyphen. Hyphens and dashes writing explained grammar, style, and. Dashes versus colons grammar girl quick and dirty tips.
Aug 25, 2016 the em dash is the widest of the three dashesits the size of an uppercase m. The hyphen connects two things that are intimately related, usually words that function together as a single concept or work together as a joint modifier e. A dash is a little horizontal line that floats in the middle of a line of text not at the bottom. Dec 21, 2015 i love the hyphen from the number pad. The en dash connects things that are related to each other by distance, as in the mayseptember issue of a magazine. Apr 14, 2015 the elusive en dash when a compound adjective precedes a noun it is describing, we often need a hyphen. An emdash is typically used as a standin for a comma or parenthesis to separate out phrasesor even just a wordin a sentence for various reasons e. Using dashes with times and dates a dash can be used between times and dates. Hyphens, en dashes and em dashes textbroker authors. Jul 21, 2017 en dash is slightly wider than the hyphen but narrower than the em dash. Sep 18, 2017 en dashaccording to cmos, en dashes which are half the length of the em dash specify any kind of range, which is why they properly appear in indexes when a range of pages is cited e. Indicating ranges the en dash is used to indicate a range, such as a range of numbers.
It can be used as an appositive explanation or for emphasis. En dash follows the same size logic as the em dash, in that the en dash is roughly the length of the letter n when typed. We use it most commonly to indicate inclusive dates and numbers. Grammar and punctuation can be tricky when youre writing.
The en dash is slightly wider than the hyphen but narrower than the em dash. The typical computer keyboard lacks a dedicated key for the en dash, though most word processors provide a means for its insertion. Two hyphens gets you an emdash if spaced apart from surrounding words. Generally speaking, the en dash is used to combine, connect, or set items into proportion. You can tell the en dash is a little wider than the hyphen, but narrower than the em dash. It can add a spiceor a dash, if you willto a sentence by adding emphasis to certain words and phrases. An en dash or en rule is wider than a hyphen and narrower than an em dash. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Jun 25, 2012 foo2 hyphens, no spacebar foobar endash foo 1 hyphen, spaced bar foo bar endash the last replacement seems misguided, and i wish it werent made or that it were an emdash instead. The en dash is neglected by many writers except as a substitute for an em dash, and even then it is increasingly replaced with a hyphen to mark a pause or parenthesis, especially online and, less commonly, in print journalism. The hyphen and the en dash are almost indistinguishable from each other when using normal size fonts. Em dash definition of em dash by the free dictionary.
The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. For example, my college years, 20092012, were the best years of my life. Finally, a client asked about the use of the em dash, so i prepared this as an answer and included the hyphen, just to be thorough. Sep 15, 2016 it can add a spiceor a dash, if you willto a sentence by adding emphasis to certain words and phrases. News watch diversity style guide download free pdf, center for integration.
Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language. A dash will usually replace the words fromto or betweenand. The most common types of dashes are the en dash and the em dash. The four hyphendashlike characters used in wikipedia are. A beginners guide to em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens. What are these em dashes and en dashes of which i speak. This means there is no space either side of the dash. These usually follow the same rules as commas and semicolons but add emphasis. The en dash is a symbol that is slightly wider than a hyphen. Jun 02, 2009 if you go to the latest updates to the blue book of grammar and punctuation on our website hyphens, rule 6, you will find that we have included en dashes in the discussion. 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.
Style guides differ in their recommendations regarding whether or not to use spaces before and after the en dash. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. A hyphen is a punctuation mark thats used to join words or parts of words. Writing principles usagov platform style guide usagov. Finally, use an en dash when youre showing connection, direction, or conflict. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing book. Correct em dash formation for ebooks and what about the en. Apr 24, 2009 a dash interrupts the flow of the sentence and tells the reader to get ready for some important or dramatic statement. Stand up comedy 2018 hilarious live comedy by tarundeep singh.
Otherwise, you may find yourself guilty of making funny punctuation mistakes. Dashes are slightly longer than hyphens and have specific uses. Both the ap stylebook and the buzzfeed style guide already recommend spelling email without the hyphen. The cms faq on the topic explains the differences between the three as follows. Most folks know about the hyphen, but fewer are familiar with the em dash and the en dash. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does. Specifically, the en dash is used when signifying a range of numbers or other values. It can replace commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context of the sentence. I am talking about the emdash, which looks like two hyphens connected into one long line. Em dashes are versatile and can be used in place of commas and semicolons.
Its longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. En dash definition of en dash by the free dictionary. There are many uses of the en and em dash and also many ways to form these dashes using your computer. Hyphens, em dashes, and en dasheswhats the difference. Ive seen the en dash used as you describe in some british books. The antidrug assembly for grades 1112 will take place in the gym from 2. Dashes are used to separate two words into statements.
Find out whether you should be writing ebook or ebook. Find out when to use dashes and when to use colons with grammar. Em dash this is the dash that was used all throughout the dash section of this packet. In classical english typography, you dont put spaces around dasheslike just here. When typing, putting two hyphens together, with no spaces before or after, creates a dash. Dashes are usually used to set off information that would be in parenthesis. Dec 10, 2014 an em dash is used as you indicated in your questionto separate out some information. An en dash, roughly the width of an n, is a little longer than a hyphen. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons.
This video explains how to properly use the hyphen, en dash. Grammar girls quick and dirty tips for better writing by mignon. The en dash is used to represent a span of time or dates, or a range of numbers. It should be noted that dashes are almost never required by the rules of grammar and punctuation. The length of the em dash corresponds to the width of the letter m. These dashes also work to set apart appositives, like a set of commas or parentheses do.
Mar 26, 2014 an en dash is wider than a hyphen and narrower than an em dash, and is the most misunderstood of the three. How to use hyphen, en dash or em dash correctly grammarist. And the government worked fastinternet timeto launch it and to keep it. May 24, 2010 its a littleknown fact that dashes come in different sizes. She explained the differences between hyphens and various dashes well, and. It used to be the same length as the width of the letter n, but that is not always the case with modern fonts. The threehyphen em dash proxy was popular with various publishers because the sequence of one, two, or three hyphens could then correspond to the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, respectively. It is shorter than an em dash and longer than a hyphen. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause.
This useful 48page ebook addresses the most commonly asked questions regarding punctuation. On ios devices, tap and hold long press the onscreen key to display choices for the en dash and em dash. Now you will see there is a shortcut key combination to use but on mine it says to use the num my laptop doesnt have a num key and doing the function that does the number lock doesnt make the dashes work. This dash is used to indicate a range, that is, elements that are related by distance, including time, years, and dates such as 3 pm6 pm, mondayfriday, march 27, or pages 2055. One reason i prefer the mac is that the shortcuts alt hyphen for an en dash, shiftalt hyphen for an em dash are systemwide. The style guide is intended to be read as an interactive pdf, where it can. Hyphens, en dashes, em dashes the chicago manual of style. In my humble opinion, in your example, they should all be hyphens.
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