- Law 26: Connect Thoughts Using Em Dashes
What is an em dash?
An em dash is the widest dash character.
On a typewriter, and even still on a standard keyboard
on your computer, there is no em dash character.
So, typists would use double hyphens
in order to stand in for an em dash,
knowing that the typesetter would go back and replace
their double hyphens with an actual em dash.
But assuming that you're using
a computer to create documents,
you should not be using double hyphens ever.
There is no need.
Double hyphens are not correct,
and they make your documents look unprofessional.
If you find yourself wanting to use double hyphens,
try inserting an em dash instead.
And if you see any double hyphens in documents
that were created by someone else,
replace them with em dashes.
So when should you use an em dash?
Em dashes can be handy when you don't want a comma,
which would end the thought,
but you aren't quite sure what punctuation to use instead.
Em dashes can replace commas,
semicolons, colons and parentheses.
Em dashes are often used to indicate added emphasis.
Em dashes can also be used to indicate long pauses,
or interruptions in text.
Em dashes are also used to show abrupt changes of thought.
You should not add spaces around an em dash,
but depending on the typeface that you're using,
the size of the typeface, and the characters
surrounding the dash, you may need to add
what are called thin spaces on either side of an em dash,
between the dash and the characters on either side.
And a good rule of thumb is that if the dash touches,
or almost touches, any characters,
then a thin space is needed.
And a thin space is just what it sounds like.
It's a space that's really thin.
It's actually about a fifth of an em wide.
And depending on the software you're using,
you may be able to insert a thin space by using a menu,
but if that's not the case you can create
your own thin spaces by typing a regular space,
and then selecting it and making that space smaller.
So how can you create em dashes?
Well, em dashes are not characters
that are included on a standard keyboard.
So they're considered special characters,
and you're going to need to use a special menu,
or a special key combination, in order to
insert an em dash into your documents.
If you're using a Macintosh computer,
you can insert an em dash into your document
by holding down the keys option and shift,
and then typing a hyphen.
And if you're using a Windows machine,
you can insert an em dash by holding down
the alt key, and then typing the numbers "0151".
Now if you're a web designer in HTML,
you would use this character entity
in order to insert an em dash.
Let's summarize.
Stop using double hyphens.
They're not correct and they make
your documents look unprofessional.
Instead, use an em dash when you want
to add emphasis to a word or phrase,
to indicate a long pause or interruption,
or to show abrupt changes of thought.
Em dashes are really easy to insert in your documents,
and they will make your documents more professional.
That's Law 26: Connect Thoughts Using Em Dashes.