Word will automatically convert the hyphen into an en dash. Creating an en dash prevents typing in outlook 2011. Pdf is not a format that lends itself to big editing. A small window is displayed so you know that openoffice. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. I have tried using thinspaces on the sides on the em dash by kindle treats even that as one word. A symbol used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis. 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. Creating em dash in word perfect 10 solutions experts. Imagine that last sentence with the emdash replaced with a hyphen. Can i use the endash or emdash in twitter or facebook. 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. Word vba macro replace longhypens emdash to minus sign.
Em, em space, en dash, hyphen, word processor terms. 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. 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. 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. If that approach doesnt suit your needs, try one of three manual methods. Em dash this is the dash that was used all throughout the dash section of this packet. Ama manual of style, and dorlands medical reference works use hyphens, not en. Dont leave the two hyphens if they dont merge to form the em dash. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services.
When you use autocorrect options, you can also click stop automatically creating dashes, or click control autocorrect options to open the autocorrect dialog box. 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. 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. The method of inserting the other marks varies based on your word processor hyphen.
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. In the symbol dialog box, click the em dash, and then click insert. Welcome to part one of a threepart series about horizontal fun in the punctuation department. Figuratively speaking, the hyphen pulled the short end of the stick. Find the dash and press it so it will convert the two hyphens into a dash. This is a good thing given how complicated the hyphenation rules are. If you are uncertain how to insert an en dash symbol, you can use a hyphen instead. Likewise, if the author types two hyphens to represent an em dash, the double hyphen will be converted to a proper em dash. The biggest source of confusion comes from using a hyphen where you intend to use an emdashand this happens all the time. When and how to use the dash, the en dash, and the em dash. It is the longest dash, compared to a hyphen or an en dash. Historically, the names of en dash and em dash came from the width of a.
The em dash is made on most pcs by holding down the alt key while typing 0151 on the keypad. Alternatively, you can insert these special characters using the insert symbol menu. Similarly, an endash is about the width of the letter n. 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. The hyphenminus keyboard hyphen, en dash, em dash, and mathematical minusnegative symbols are different see wp. 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. This opens the word options dialog box, where you can customize your word settings and preferences. 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.
If you want to use en dashes instead of hyphens, insert a space before the hyphen. Whenever you want an endash, touch the spacebar, type nand touch the spacebar. Use an em dash to set off a parenthetical phrase with more emphasis than parentheses provide. To create the em dash on a macintoshbased system, hold down the shift and option keys and press the minus key. Learn how to insert an em dash, an en dash, or a variety of other symbols into a document using mac os x. On a windowsbased system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the alt key and typing 0151. It can replace commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context of the sentence. It can show an abrupt change in thought or be used where a period is too strong and a comma too weak. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes.
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. Ap style calls for a space on both sides of an em dash, but most other styles, including mla and apa, omit the spaces. 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. Use insert special characters to open the special characters dialog. One is called the en dash and one is called the em dash. Here are a couple more ways to use the em dash dash than previously stated. Dashes, if used incorrectly, can actually confuse readers not just bother detailoriented editors.
It is best to limit the use of em dashes to two per sentence, to avoid confusion. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Similar to an extended hyphen, an em dash is used to show a break in thought or a shift of tone. En dash this dash is slightly longer than a hyphen but is still smaller than an em. 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. How to convert pdf to word without software duration. The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar in appearance to the hyphen and minus sign but. See tips for inserting the ndash or mdash in microsoft word. Correct em dash formation for ebooks and what about the. Through this series, youll learn the difference between these marks and when to use which one. The practice of using two hyphens for a dash is a holdover from the days of typewriters. The en dash is used in ranges, such as 610 years, read as six to ten years.
You need to find the character, and then you need to find a way to enter it. The information in your spreadsheetnumbers, formulas, and textis stored in cells. How to insert an en dash or em dash in microsoft word. Storyline allows you to insert symbols from a character map into text boxes, captions, shapes, buttons, and other objects. Only the hyphen receives a dedicated key on most computer keyboards. Em dash definition of em dash by the free dictionary. A hyphen is a standard key on the keyboard of a computer. Its alphabetical cousin, the en dash, is about the same width as the letter n. The length of the em dash corresponds to the width of the letter m. However, you may find that en and em dashes display as hyphens. How to use the hyphen, en dash and em dash ndash mdash, n.
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. If your word document has an em dash or en dash and you want to remove it, do one of the following. The em dash can be used in much the way you would use a colon or a set of parentheses. Type a space, type dash dash and touch the spacebar. This is what i use in writing, but i have a slight gap between my en dash and dash to make my em dash. In your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. Some settings in the word options dialog box apply only to word. Use tools macros record macro to start recording a macro. In fact, the em dash is named after its lengthits about the same width as the capital letter m. Whilst reading novels, you will see the longer em dash used. Creating an en dash prevents typing in outlook 2011 split from. For more helpful tips like this, sign up for my free newsletter at. Emdash definition of emdash by the free dictionary.
An em dash sets off one part of a sentence from the rest of the sentence. 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. Ndash or en dash automatically created in word when you type something something wordspacehyphen. Word does not replace the two hyphens with a dash like it is supposed to. 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. A long dash often called an emdash because it is the width of a letter m is what we will be talking about below. You can also copy and paste the dashes from another. 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. En dash according to wikipedia, the en dash, or n dash, nrule, etc. An em dash is slightly wider than the width of the capital letter m in the existing font and font size. After disabling the autocorrect option, youll have to enter an em dash manually. It does not do this for a nonpunctuated construction i.
Type in two hyphens, highlight it, and press the box at the top of the screen called symbols. Microsoft word underlines the em dash before tato and wants to put a space between the end of the dash and tato. An en dash surrounded by spaces achieves the same effect as an em dash with no spaces, but typographically it is less disruptive. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark.
Imagine replacing the em dashes in the sentences above with. But that results in really bad line breaks, especially when word is long. Documentationhow tosinserting en and em dashes apache. 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. To insert an em dash, you need to find that character in the font youve selected.
Four ways to insert an em dash in a word document techrepublic. This was a big debate between my editor and me when i was writing my book. The chicago manual of style online offers a good guide for determining when to use an em dash or an. Use your keyboard to navigate your document, ribbon, or menus, and also select, format, and edit text and graphics in your documents. Use one em dash on each side of a phrase embedded in a sentence. Most folks know about the hyphen, but fewer are familiar with the em dash and the en dash.
A hyphen is produced by a simple keystroke on your keyboard. How to use microsoft word to put an accent on an e. For more on hyphens and dashes, you can consult the online chicago manual of style. Emdashes, often known simply as dashes, get their name from typography. Em dashes are sometimes used in lists or definitions, but that is a style issue. En and em dashes and hyphens one thing editors do is to fuss with punctuation, especially dashes. To mimic an en dash, type 2012 where you want the dash to appear. When you need an em dash, you can let word enter it for you the easy way. Insert three em dashes in the place of a repeating authors name in a bibliography. If all else fails, copy and paste the dash from another document, such as this page.
Its a littleknown fact that dashes come in different sizes. Its quite janitorial in nature, but i suppose much of editing is. Although all reasonably new versions of ms word support unicode, there are. An em dash is the longest dash, often called simply the dash, but also called the em rule or the long dash. A writers use of dashes hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes is one of the typographical elements that jump out at editors. If you are using a typewriter, a pair of hyphens is the closest you can get to an em dash.
C on a mac in your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. With a simple trick for touchscreen keyboards, its easy to use the ndash and mdash on a phone or tablet. The em dash signals an interruption in the sentence. Many modern word processors will automatically insert an em dash when you type a pair of hyphens. Autoformat converts some hyphens to long dashes in word. Em dashes differ from other hyphens and dashes not only in usage, which we will discuss shortly, but also in appearance.