Em dash becoming question mark. Dash: Dashes set off a series within a phrase: “Of the many breakfast options — omelets, waffles, pastries — he only wanted coffee”; indicate a break in thought: “Felipe’s is a popular eatery — in Harvard Square”; or attribute a quotation to an author: “‘You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Em dash becoming question mark

 
Dash: Dashes set off a series within a phrase: “Of the many breakfast options — omelets, waffles, pastries — he only wanted coffee”; indicate a break in thought: “Felipe’s is a popular eatery — in Harvard Square”; or attribute a quotation to an author: “‘You must do the thing you think you cannot doEm dash becoming question mark  You can use it at the end of a broken-off phrase, or if a

On cell phones running Android’s Gboard or iOS operating systems, press and hold the hyphen on the onscreen keyboard. It's a completely different use case. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. An ellipsis may be preceded or followed by other punctuation. However, they are meant to be used for different purposes: an en dash (–) is most often used to indicate ranges, while an em dash (—) is used to mark breaks within a sentence. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. Spaniards actually have a bit of a hard time when learning those alternative uses in. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark used to connect two or more words (or parts of words) to show that they form one unit of sense—e. An em dash (—) is used to mark an interruption, as mentioned above (“What the—”), or material set off parenthetically from the main point—like this. Technically the question mark is a full stop and, like an exclamation point, has its own. The 2010⁠–⁠2011 season was our best yet. Punctuation Marks Wheel : This 2-page print-out makes a punctuation marks wheel; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. dashes Use a true em dash inserted from the symbol menu (not one or two hyphens), and use spaces around dashes (“Jo — a Washingtonian — hates rain”). En and em dashes are longer than the hyphen. . Writers have three choices of punctuation to set off sentence interrupters—commas, parentheses, and em dashes. A Hebrew period in a traditional serif face usually looks like a tiny tilted square (a diamond; ). Use to indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times or reference numbers, use an en-dash (a slightly. This is really useful if you're a few words over the 650 word limit and need to trim a bit. In this century, the shorter one is preferred in all main varieties of English. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. A hyphen (-) is shorter still. Follow the end quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. Write an em dash. The above shortcuts are all valid ways you can use to type the em. The web's most comprehensive guide to American punctuation. A colon is quieter; a dash is more emphatic and dramatic. On cell phones running Android’s Gboard or iOS operating systems, press and hold the hyphen on the onscreen keyboard. When listing information, you may use the em dash between the list and independent clause when the list comes first. You will only be tested on the rules of the em dash, which is what we’ll cover here. ; fibre everywhere else. When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. Em dashes. Below are lines of five each of em dashes, en dashes, minuses, and hyphens, all separated by a normal space. Look at how the entire sentence uses different punctuation marks. At the risk of being pedantic, an ellipsis is a single symbol, not three dots. Hyphens and dashes. 1. The correct use of dialogue tags. Other Types of Dash. In formal writing, an em dash is the width of an m and longer than both a hyphen and an en dash. The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. So, if a symbol is to be used, Chicago (at least implicitly) says it should be an em dash without a space. SQL Developer is Java based which does not use NLS_LANG settings but SQL*Plus does, so you have to set NLS_LANG properly. Ellipsis (…) [edit | edit source] A sequence of three dots is known as an ellipsis, which is commonly used to indicate omitted text. Use a dash in dialogue to show an interruption or a sudden break in thought. 2)”Are you OK?” is a direct question. An em dash is a punctuation mark used to separate elements within a sentence, typically words or phrases that are too long to be separated by commas or need a dramatic pause during reading. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. ” Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts (skinny letters and fat letters. Wave dash ( ~) Sorted by: 58. Here’s a trick to help you remember which is which. 1. If you’re looking for the answer — or just wondering what an em dash is — learn how (and when) to use an em dash correctly here. The good news is that the ACT isn’t going to test you on the differences between the two. newspaper publishing was to represent an em dash with two. Consider the examples below:3. In 3, the dash is used in place of a comma, since the change in tone is occuring at the same time as the dialog is being spoken, or near enough that it's the same action. 89: "In modern usage, a question mark or an exclamation point—but never a comma, a colon, or a semicolon—may. So:Figure 1. Em dashes, in contrast, are frequently used to signal an abrupt change, suggest a pause, or set off a clause within a sentence. Examples:A Quick Guide to Punctuation. Hyphens might look like dashes, but they aren’t dashes. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through. If the list follows the independent clause, it is best to use a colon instead. But it is necessary first to make the difference between a hyphen, and an em dash vs en dash. 2] In braille, a dash is represented by dots 6, 36 (,-). The Manual of Style explains the differences between the hyphen and four types of dashes. em-dash — Long hyphen (—) named em-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. ) When it’s in the middle of the sentence, it doesn’t need to be followed by a comma. 87): English learners commonly make the mistake of using em dashes incorrectly. pages 11–23. Signo de interrogación (Question Mark) 7. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. It was first. The misplacement of periods and commas is the most common mistake writers make when punctuating dialogue. Note that in British English, the punctuation marks only go inside of the quotation marks if the punctuation is part of the quoted material, although many writers make an exception for periods. There are three options: Period. The other function is to punctuate compound modifiers that include an open compound or two or more hyphenated compounds. The em is the longest in the dash suite. In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. “What are you talking about—wait, Johnny said it was Maria!”. If the parentheses include an exclamation or question mark: Our road trip to Florida — we love to drive to see all the sights on the way! — took three days to. For example, don’t use a dash to begin the interrupter and a comma. The em dash (—) is a versatile punctuation mark used to enhance the readability and clarity of written text. Em-dashes in Place of a Semicolon. ”. ] There’s even more explanation: If the break belongs to the surrounding sentence rather than to the quoted material, the em dashes must appear outside the quotation marks. It could be written with a semicolon, a colon, or a period (or a. Em dash is an impressively versatile punctuation mark that can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the context. The following example from Toni Morrison’s Beloved shows both uses: “Nothing bad can happen to her. But to show a true interruption, the kind that occurs when a speaker is cut off in the middle of sentence or a word, we’ll need something stronger than a comma—namely, an em dash (see also CMOS 6. When it displays it in the application, the dash turns into a question mark !?!?!? I then have an Export button, which writes these back to a textfile. Then, click Undo Dash. When a character hits a server or email. See wikipedia. And an example:There are 14 punctuation marks that are used in the English language. While closely related to other dashes—like the en dash (–) and hyphen (-)—the em dash serves a unique role in typography. Semicolons separate two independent clauses. In fact, the em dash is named after its length—it’s. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. Household appliances such as refrigerators and microwaves are. Follow. The em dash is a more emphatic substitute for the comma, colon, or parentheses and can be used to indicate omitted words. Most commonly, a dash connects an independent clause with another, with a related thought plus a conjunction like or, but, yet, as, for, and after the second dash. ”. Question marks, exclamation points, and dashes fall inside or outside closing quotations. For instance, we could use em dashes in place of commas or parentheses: One of the twins—she couldn’t tell them apart—ran to greet her. Em dashes can also signal an interruption or a sudden change in the direction a writer was heading with a particular sentence. — Question Mark. Here’s how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. In fact, em dashes can find an even greater role in dialog: they can replace quotation marks, though this is less common in English than in other languages. Dashes set off loosely related comments and sudden breaks in thought. To be effective, the exclamation point should be used in moderation. There are enough exceptions to this general rule, however, to warrant the following chart, which shows nearly all of the scenarios you are likely to face. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they discover you're using the wrong term :-) Share. “I didn’t expect to — “An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. BOND #2: Adverbs There are many types of adverbs, but by definition, an adverb is a word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. hphen – en dash – em dash — 2-em dash —— 3-em dash ———. S. ” Em dashes are the most versatile, nuanced, and. There are specific rules for punctuating that, too: StutterThe Function of the Em Dash The em dash ( — ) is usually an alternative to another punctuation mark. Other times, the comma separates grammatical components of the sentence. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. g. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. Example: You’ll see him if you look”—she pointed across the street—“just over there. g. An em dash or colon is part of the same toolkit, but they serve slightly different purposes. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. 6 Dash [UEB §7. The em dash is used to represent how the first speaker is being interrupted by the second. However, if the punctuation mark is a dash (i. &#x1F67D. g. 157). “What space?”. Those textual examples presented by Chicago that use dashes all use em dashes—and there is no space between the dash and the epigraph's source attribution. An en dash is denoted as (–) Em dashes are longer than hyphens, but shorter than em dashes. The em dash, also known as the long dash or mutton dash, is a punctuation mark used in writing to indicate a pause or break in a sentence. If you want more design. On a Mac. The question mark needs to go after Language. The shift from em dash to en dash reflects contemporary writing practice and the new focus on digital content. Then, after you press the space bar after the word after the dash, most word processing programs will turn those two little hyphens‐‐into an em dash—like so. left single quotation mark: 146 ’ right single quotation mark: 147 “ left double quotation mark: 148 ” right double quotation mark: 149 • bullet: 150 – en dash: 151 — em dash: 152 : ⃜ : small tilde: 153 ™ trade mark sign: 154 : š : Latin small letter s with caron: 155 › single right-pointing angle quotation mark: 156 : œ. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. @Kenny LJ, please remember there are no absolute rules about the use of any kind of dash as opposed to others… so em-dashes matter here only in the guidelines specified by your house style-book. According to the Wikipedia article "Quotation mark" (section "Quotation dash"):. Em dashes can also signal an interruption or a sudden change in the direction a writer was heading with a particular sentence. A parenthesis set off by dashes (or commas) rather than parentheses is still a parenthesis. Don’t be confused: punctuation can change!) Also, em dashes don’t get along with periods at all. An em dash indicates that the dialogue stops abruptly and you would place the em dash inside the closing quotation marks. Underscore: _. Em dashes are the longest of the common dashes (I won’t be covering 2-em and 3-em dashes in this article) and are so named because they are the width of the letter “m. If you guessed that it’s as wide as the letter “M,” you get a gold star. Rule #5. It is used to indicate a range of values, such as numbers, dates, and times. I agree that it should try to match the size of the missing word. The conventions for dialogue allow a narrator to “interrupt” the speakers at any time and for any reason. Learn how to use em dashes in a sentence with these examples and best practices. How to create en dashes and em dashes. Em-dashes. It is longer than a hyphen (-) or an en dash (–). For example: The company’s profits have been steadily declining over the past year — a trend that is cause for concern. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the following guidelines: • Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. The em is the longest in the dash suite. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. style guides frequently recommend using em dashes for the purposes above, while using en dashes for ranges, etc. Translation. A space is used before and after the en-dash when used in literary copy. Like parentheses, the em dash can set off nonessential elements; but it does the parentheses one better—it can also set off essential elements. An en dash is. Or simply type two hyphens one after the other, type the word that is supposed to appear after the em dash, and press Space—the hyphens magically turn into an em dash. Share. 2, Period, Question Mark, Exclamation Point, Question Mark, Placement], is never combined with another exclamation point, question mark, period, semicolon, colon, or comma; thus, there is no comma in the first example below. Em-dashes. If the interruption occurs at the. An em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that looks like an extended dash. Character encoding is a link between the visual representation of a character (like a registration mark or em-dash) and the bytes that store them in memory. " "The sixth edition. ” Correct. I solved by this link. 9. Punctuation marks, like words and paragraph breaks, are tools. 8. 7. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5′ 10″ (read: five feet and ten inches). They also establish a relationship between words and ideas. Dashes. The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He left—would you believe it?—immediately after the ball. An em-dash can be used alone, as in this example from the online The Punctuation Guide: After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict—guilty. Press the Spacebar. If the action is in the middle of a sentence, use em dashes outside the quotation marks. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He left—would you believe it?—immediately after the ball. It indicates that the width of a printed matter is equal to its point size or height. The en dash is a symbol (–) that is slightly wider than a hyphen (-). The Oxford Manual of Style once stated, “If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. Though not necessarily a matter of punctuation, there is one important distinction between American and British usage when it comes to dates. An em dash (—), the longest “dash,” is used as a substitute for a comma, colon, semi-colon, or parentheses and emphasizes information. Em dashes can be used in the following ways: 1. A hyphen (-) is the shortest “dash” and. A dash is used to separate part of a sentence and indicate a break. The correct use of em-dashes and ellipses. Don’t confuse it with a hyphen (-). Here are the code points for the Unicode dashes that are of the Common script, along with their general categories. –8:30 p. What is the difference between en and em dashes? The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing. 5. A hyphen is no substitute for the versatile em dash, a sentence punctuation mark some may simply call "dashes. The en dash is shorter than an em dash but longer than a hyphen. For further reasons, why you should use T1 encoding, have a look at this question: Why should I use usepackage[T1]{fontenc}? You should use a. Command (⌘) + M. While closely related to other dashes—like the en dash (–) and hyphen (-)—the em dash serves a unique role in typography. En dashes can be used to separate a date range or span of time. And you wouldn't have to do any kind of terminal punctuation, no need for a period or a question mark or an exclamation point. This is a common editing mark and has several uses, but its primary purpose is to separate clauses and huge parts of the sentence. ) You can achieve that. An em dash (—) is the longest of the three dashes and can be used to set off a break in the sentence, as well as add emphasis. A dash is a break in thought, from one focus to another. There are two alternatives: (1) shitted, which appears about once for every instance of shat; and (2) shit, uninflected in the past tense. You will find this material in chapters 8⁠–⁠12. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. Most authorities, including The Chicago. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. I believe you can also type a space before typing the quote, then delete the space. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The em dash is even longer and is used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon for emphasis. ) To offset additional information just like commas and. Accordingly, the em dash, under the right circumstances, serves as an alternative to any of the other marks—the comma, colon, semicolon, and parentheses—as long as it is used sparingly. So, they cannot be linked by comma (Commas are only used to link a dependent and an independent clause). (If you do, up vote that answer. Here’s how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. g. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. Breaking dialogue into multiple paragraphs. Dashes are used in the following five ways: To show in ranges for numbers or dates (e. Quotation from wiki ( Em dash) When an actual em dash is unavailable—as in the ASCII character set—a double ("--") or triple hyphen-minus ("---") is used. ago • Edited 2 yr. Examples. Question mark. Chicago 6. [Emphasis mine. For example, “the years 2020–2022” or “the hours 9:00 a. ex. 2. The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. 8. It was originally a humorous and slightly sanitized version of the curse word, but it has become the standard form. Dashes and hyphens aren’t the same thing. En dashes are slightly shorter than an em dash and are used to connect numbers and words: 2000–2020, Paris–London, the score was 5–3. In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, you’ll have access to the. I agree that it should try to match the size of the missing word. Go to the system preferences and choose "Language & Text". When it comes at the end of a list, put a comma before it if you use the serial comma and don’t if you don’t use the serial comma. If it helps, picture the em dash superimposed on the letter “M” and the en dash superimposed on the “N. In general it is the same length as an em-dash, and so this is often used instead. An en dash is always used without any space before or after it. You would simply end the line of dialogue, have a sentence of narration, and then have a new line of dialogue, even if it's the same speaker continuing. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. 3. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. It can separate independent clauses. It is used to break up a longer sentence, usually to insert a phrase into the middle or end of a. The San Diego–Las Vegas flight is on time. These marks are available in most word processors, though many people simply use single and double quotation marks: 5’ 10”. An em dash derives its name from being the approximate width of a capital M. To Indicate Interruption in Dialogue, Use An Em-Dash. g. The dash ( — ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Em dash. Em dash (—) Twice as long as the en dash, the em dash can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence. Em Dash (—) Indicate an interruption or an abrupt changeAnywhere formal typography appears, an en dash might pop up. This method can get messy if you have more than two speakers in a conversation, so use it with care. That doesn't change the fact that in 60 years of reading, I've never come across a trust-worthy writer using any dash directly after a comma, nor. 1. Wave dash ( ~)Sorted by: 58. You’ve probably heard of hyphens and em dashes, but what about en dashes? Learn what they are and how to use them with this helpful article. Just like in narrative, dashes can be used in dialogue to set off clauses within sentences. Em dash—hold down the Alt key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad. An em dash can also mark dialogue, signify an interruption, indicate a sudden break in thought, and introduce a list. Question mark! Exclamation point. Typically I replace these special characters in a microsoft product first with replace. The Spanish names for the hyphen, en-dash and em-dash are guión, semiraya o raya menor, and raya, respectively. A dash is a punctuation mark that resembles a hyphen, but longer. The text won't look as good, but realistically, most people won't notice. The em dash is as wide as the letter m—about twice as wide as a hyphen. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. 4. If your keyboard can't produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. The en dash (–) is one-half the width of an em. parentheses. Type a word. Comma. em. In the "Text" tab you will find the list of substitutions. &#128637. No comma is implied. Many people use these two dashes interchangeably. ”. For the the complete list of the first 256 Windows ALT Codes, visit Windows ALT Codes for Special Characters & Symbols. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. The – is called an en dash. However, the semicolon, colon, dash, question mark, and exclamation point fall outside of the quotation marks (unless, of course, the quoted material has internal punctuation of its own). Note that although this answer cites only CMOS, I'm fairly confident (based on experience) that most major style. (it will become an em dash. . In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). And the final em dash before the question mark does nothing but to emphasize the distraction, in my opinion. ". (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. They can add more information to a sentence making it clearer and easier for the listener to imagine what is being described in detail. I'm working on being able to read transcripts of dialogue into R. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. em. They are useful for emotionally-loaded dialogue interruption, because emotions act quickly on the brain. Actual output : 1993 1995 Expected output : 1993 – 1995 I have done the UTF-8 encoding in Java but still getting the same output in the excel. F. Key stroke shortcuts: em-dash = alt + 0151; en-dash = alt + 0150. For Example: Weeding, planting, and watering — that’s all we did this weekend to clean up the garden. The en-dash is commonly used to show range as in dates (e. Here are some rules for how to use interrupters. fiscal year 2020–21. An em dash is preferred to divide elements within a sentence and pack a punch. […] All water from the streams; dead birds were found In wells a hundred feet below the ground Such was the season when the flower bloomed. Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they. Technically, the mark designating feet is a prime; the mark designating inches is a double prime. Infographic: How to use an em dash. The em dash is also used for denoting an incomplete speech. Em Dash (—) An em dash is one of the three kinds of dashes that functions like a comma, a colon, or parentheses in introducing a clause. Within moments of our first interaction — over. The sixth edition recommended an unspaced em dash for these purposes. It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. On Macs, the long dash symbol situation is much easier. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. As shown above, em dashes are often left unspaced when used in this way. There are many ways to use dashes in writing. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. (Check out more punctuation. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. I've found questions asking about an em dash in quoted speech, and punctuation rules for em dashes in quotes, but this question is quite different. It gets its name from its size which is the. This is also true for the dot part of the question mark, and exclamation mark. The British practice (followed in most of the world) is to put the. Write an em dash. the first word of a subtitle. , the India–Pakistan issue) To extend sentences just like colons, semicolons, and three dots (e. 857k 235 1581 1959. Treat etc. AP and AMA style guides are agreed: em dash goes inside the quotes, and that's your punctuation. In general, the em dash is seen as being more interruptive or striking than other. En dashes (–) represent a range between numbers, dates, and times. Ellipsis, dash, and colon. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. If you prefer, you can configure your keyboard in Windows to accept Unicode codepoint numbers, instead of "traditional". By Jessica Bennett. How to easily type various punctuation signs (§ ¶ ‽) using. On a PC, the em-dash is made by holding down the ALT key and typing 0151 on the number pad. The en dash, which is slightly shorter, and the em dash, which is the one you can see in the previous paragraph. Learn how to use each type in a sentence with these examples and best practices. For your example: “Well, I thought you—” He stopped himself. 4. The main difference between them is that at least some. In HTML, XHTML, or XML, you can use a character escape to represent any Unicode character using only ASCII letters. Just consider the following guidelines: • Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. The punctuation mark should not be confused with dashes (–, —), which are. The em dash (—) is twice as long as the en. (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. APPLICATION. g. To create interrupted dialogue that everyone will recognize as such, use an em-dash where you want to end the dialogue. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons⁠—in each case to slightly different effect. ” But the width of the two dashes isn’t the only thing that separates the two. Please read pages 70–77 in your text. Always follow the punctuation rules in formal writing to make your work clearer and more readable. For example, one em in an 18-point typeface equals. Any grammer Nazi's out there that have the answer, please do so ASAP. Or. MLA doesn't touch on more than 2 subtitles; however, there is a syntax for a work with more than one title which makes use of ; or, as the delimiter, so perhaps stay away from using semicolons. This appears when you move the pointer over the corrected hyphen. Use em dashes to do the following: Set off explanatory. The em dashes are used here to indicate that the information within them is rather shocking. But if you use them, you’ll find they can show up near a lot of punctuation marks besides dashes. It thus performs many of the same functions as commas, parentheses, and colons, but with a bit more drama—a “wait for it” tension that tends to lend emphasis to whatever it introduces. The em dash performs a versatile function to help separate certain words from the rest of a sentence. When injecting a descriptive clause into a sentence, you are free to use em dashes, commas, or parentheses. To create an em dash on a PC, hold down the Alt key while typing 0151 on the numberpad of the keyboard. They also can be used to focus a reader or highlight tone within a. There should be no space on either side of the dash, including when it is followed by a quotation mark.