How do you use two dashes in a sentence?

How do you use two dashes in a sentence?

Two dashes can emphasize a modifier. Words or phrases that describe a noun can be set off with dashes if you wish to emphasize them. Example: The fairgrounds—cold and wet in the October rain—were deserted. Example: Nettie—her chin held high—walked out into the storm.

Should dashes always be used in pairs?

There are two slightly different conventions for using a dash. The dash has only one use: a pair of dashes separates a strong interruption from the rest of the sentence. (A strong interruption is one which violently disrupts the flow of the sentence.)

How do you use dashes in a sentence?

Em dashes save the day when other punctuation would be awkward. For instance, em dashes can replace parentheses at the end of a sentence or when multiple commas appear in a parenthetical phrase. After a split second of hesitation, the second baseman leaped for the ball (or, rather, limped for it).

When can you use an em dash?

An em dash can also be used to mark a break in a sentence in place of a semicolon or colon. In this context, dashes are often used for emphasis or to signal a change in tone: There was no arguing with her—she was set in her opinion.

How do you use a dash instead of a comma?

Use Dashes in Place of a Comma Em dashes can be used in pairs to replace commas when writing a parenthetical or interruptive phrase. The dashes have a slightly more emphatic feel, making the reader focus on this information that is set inside the special marks.

How do I type an em dash?

To make an em dash, press and hold Alt, then type 0151.

Where is the dash on the keyboard?

Dash on a PC keyboard You can create a dash on a PC by holding down the ALT key and typing either 0150 (en-dash) or 0151 (em-dash). The en-dash and em-dash are similar but have slight differences. This website explains the difference between the en-dash and em-dash.

How do I type an en dash in Windows?

Windows

1. For an em-dash, hold down the Alt key and type 0151, then release the Alt key. That’s it!
2. For an en-dash, hold down the Alt key and type 0150, then release the Alt key. Pretty simple, right?

What is em dash example?

Use em dashes in place of commas or parentheses to create a break in a sentence. Examples: Please call my lawyer—Richard Smith—on Tuesday. This sentence could also be written with commas or parentheses.

What is the use of EM dash?

Em-dashes can also be used to set off extra information in a sentence. You can think of em-dashes like commas that set off extra information (a non-restrictive clause) in a sentence. To make this comparison clearer, here is an example of a sentence that uses commas and then an example of a sentence with dashes.

Why is an em dash used?

We use the em dash to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence. We can use these dashes in pairs, as we would use parentheses—that is, to enclose a word, or a phrase, or a clause (as we’ve done here)—or they can be used alone to detach one end of a sentence from its main body.

What is a 3 em dash?

Creating a 3-em Dash Create a 3-em dash by entering the em dash three times or six hyphens. You can find the em dash in the symbol drop-down menu in Microsoft Word. Alternatively, press CTRL + ALT + minus key on the numeric keypad, three times.

What is a 2 em dash?

A very long dash (——), known as a 2-em dash, is used to indicate ‘ditto’ in bibliographies and similar lists: Marlowe, Christopher, Edward II. —— The Jew of Malta. For means of representing the different dashes in typescript, see 1.3. 5.

What can I use instead of a dash?

You can avoid informal punctuation by replacing with a more formal punctuation alternative. Dashes can be replaced by several other punctuations including commas, colons and brackets.

Do you put a space before and after an em dash?

The em dash is typically used without spaces on either side, and that is the style used in this guide. Most newspapers — and all that follow AP style — insert a space before and after the em dash.

Which dash is about half the length of an em dash?

En dashes. Despite its name, the en dash has more in common with the hyphen than with the em dash. In fact, it helps to think of the en dash, which is half the length of the em, as a variant of the hyphen.

Is there a space after an ellipsis?

Spacing. Whether you put spaces between the dots or not is a matter of style. The AP Stylebook says to treat the ellipsis as a three-letter word, with spaces on either side of the ellipsis but no spaces between the dots. You can use either style; just be consistent throughout your document.

How many spaces go after a period?

Nearly all style guides agree that one space is correct. The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) was the only style guide that overtly recommended two spaces after a period, and even that long-time holdout for two spaces changed its guideline to one space in its 2019 update.

Do you need 2 spaces after a period?

According to the AP Stylebook, single-spacing is correct. The same goes for the Chicago Manual of Style. However, the Modern Language Association Style Center offers different advice, and suggests that writers use a single space after a period unless they have been explicitly told otherwise.

When did we stop putting 2 spaces after a period?

With the introduction of the typewriter in the late 19th century, typists used two spaces between sentences to mimic the style used by traditional typesetters. While wide sentence spacing was phased out in the printing industry in the mid-20th century, the practice continued on typewriters and later on computers.

How many spaces should there be between sentences?

one space

What is two spaces after a period called?

(This is called a mono-spaced font.) With a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to make it clear that the sentence has ended. Today’s word-processing software makes fonts proportional, though, which is why we only need one space.

How many spaces should be between paragraphs?

Paragraph Indentation – Paragraphs should be indented 5 spaces or 1/2 inch.

How many spaces do you put after a comma?

Do you put two spaces after a colon?

Just as with the period, it used to be common to put two spaces after a colon, but now most style guides that address the matter (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style) recommend using only one space after a colon.

Are spaces considered punctuation?

In writing, a space ( ) is a blank area that separates words, sentences, syllables (in syllabification) and other written or printed glyphs (characters). Whitespace characters include spaces of various widths, including all those that professional typesetters employ. …

Do you put space between number and unit?

There is a space between the numerical value and unit symbol, even when the value is used in an adjectival sense, except in the case of superscript units for plane angle. If the spelled-out name of a unit is used, the normal rules of English apply: “a roll of 35-millimeter film.”

What is the space before a paragraph called?

Line spacing

What is the space between words called?

The space between words is simply called Word Spacing. Both refer to the adjustment of space between characters of type. Kerning Is Selective Letterspacing. Kerning is the adjustment of space between pairs of letters. Some pairs of letters create awkward spaces.

What is the difference between kerning and letter spacing?

In typography, kerning is the process of adjusting the spacing between characters in a proportional font, usually to achieve a visually pleasing result. Kerning adjusts the space between individual letterforms, while tracking (letter-spacing) adjusts spacing uniformly over a range of characters.