Two workers-the carpenter and bricklayer-stayed all night to finish their work. Lisa-who has supported me my entire life-deserves praise for her accomplishments. The following sentences correctly use an em dash: To make an en dash on a word processor like Microsoft Word, press “option + minus” on a Mac or “ctrl + minus” on a PC, or search for it in the special characters list. An open compound is made up of two words that are separated by a space (e.g., award winning). Though not required, incorporating an en dash in an adjective that includes an open compound word can help maintain clarity. Using en dashes with complex compound adjectives The class must read from chapters 6 to 8 for homework. The library will be open between 2:00 and 5:00. The board voted 5– 1 in favor of the new legislation.ĭo not use an en dash if a sentence contains "from" or "between" before the number range. The teacher assigned chapters 6– 8 for homework. Use en dashes for the following purposes.Īn en dash indicates "to," "through," and "up to and including" when listing numbers, dates, scores, and votes. To make an em dash using keyboard shortcuts on a word processor like Microsoft Word, press “option + shift + minus” on a Mac or “alt + ctrl + minus” on a PC, or search for it in the special characters list. I was told that after next Tuesday-or maybe Wednesday-I'll be able to return to school. I need to pack three more items for the trip-sunglasses, bathing suit, and beach towel. In a sentence containing a clause that explains, summarizes, or expands upon the information dramatically or intensely, an em dash can replace the colon or semicolon that connects the ideas. Parentheses separate information that is remotely related to the rest of the sentence (called parenthetical information).Įm dashes connect information that falls in the middle. Insert em dashes in place of commas or parentheses to accentuate the extra information set off by the punctuation mark:Ĭommas separate information that is closely related to the rest of the sentence. Use em dashes for the following purposes. The function of a hyphen is to combine words or groups of words. The em and en dash are not the same as a minus sign or hyphen (-), which is shorter than both dashes. An em dash is approximately as long as the width of a typed letter "M," and an en dash is about as long as the letter "N." The names of both punctuation marks derive from their length.
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