![]() ![]() ![]() It drove me nuts! I eventually implemented a style change, and converted en dashes to em dashes to my backlog of articles. In fact, I’m the editor of a monthly magazine that used to do that. Some publications use en dashes instead of em dashes to set off text. “The dash is best reserved for special effects: to prepare readers for a punchline or a U-turn.” En dashes aren’t the same as em dashes In contrast to Garner, Amy Einsohn’s The Copyeditor’s Handbook suggests that em dashes may be overused. Whatever the type of writing, dashes can often clarify a sentence that is clogged up with commas-or even one that’s otherwise lusterless.” Way to go! Garner believes “The em-dash is perhaps the most underused punctuation mark in American writing. But BuzzFeed is an online publication so, as Favilla said, “Space isn’t at a premium on the internet.” She has come to believe that “spaces on either side of an em dash allow a sentence to breather.” What is an em dash, anyhow?Īn em dash “is used to mark an interruption in the structure of a sentence,” said Bryan Garner in Garner’s Modern American Usage. ![]() However, I was appalled to learn that her bosses asked her to put spaces around her em-dashes. Favilla said in A World Without “Whom,“ “What’s more beautiful than a strategically placed em dash?” If you feel excited about this topic, you won’t be surprised that I took notice when Emmy J. If you wonder why I care about this, stop reading now. Some people prefer en-dashes (–) to em-dashes (-). However, not everyone agrees with me that em-dashes are the right punctuation symbol for setting off text in a sentence. Also, my assistant can tell you that I’m a real nag about inserting the proper coding for em dashes into my Constant Contact newsletters. In fact, one of my most exciting discoveries in WordPress was the symbols menu that lets me insert proper em dashes instead of double hyphens into my blog posts. ![]()
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