By Maria Walters
You have probably noticed that dashes seem to come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. If you've ever typed one in Microsoft Word and notice that it got longer, you might have even wondered why. Well, here's your guide to the different types of dashes and how to use them!
The Dash
The dash character on your keyboard is just a plain old dash (-). This dash is the multi-purpose dash that connects words (like multi-purpose). You also might notice it dividing a word in half if the word is split between two lines.
The En-Dash
An en-dash (-) is a little longer than a normal dash. In fact, it's about as long as the letter "n," which is how I remember the difference (though that's not technically how it got its name). En-dashes are not used very much; they are the unloved middle child of the dash family. Mostly, en-dashes are used to show ranges of numbers (like 3-13).
The more infrequent use of an en-dash is in connecting two phrases when one of them consists of multiple words. Civil War-era is a great example: the en-dash connects the phrase "Civil War" to "era" instead of just the word "War."
The Em-Dash
An em-dash (-) is even longer than an en-dash (like "m" is wider than "n"). An em-dash is used instead of a lot of types of punctuation: you can use it in place of a semicolon, two of them in place of parentheses, or just to show the pauses in a sentence. When it is used to join two separate thoughts (instead of a semicolon) it looks like the sentence about en-dashes above. When it is used instead of a parenthesis, a sudden interjection - like this - suddenly becomes acceptable. I am smitten with em-dashes because of their usefulness!
Using the right character online
Now that you know the difference, you might find yourself wanting to use it! In WYSIWYG programs like Microsoft Word, the correct character will often be substituted for you, but when you are typing online, it's not as easy! When entering HTML (like in some forums and comment fields), you can create an en-dash by typing – and an em-dash by typing — (don't forget the semicolons!). However, if you want to take the easy way out, a frequently-used alternative is to use two dashes (--) to represent an em-dash.
It's as easy as that! Now dash out there and use your dashes correctly!
About the Author
Maria Walters is a grammar-loving freelance writer who specializes in articles, blog posts, and website copy.
If you are looking for a quality copywriter, contact Maria at http://www.writtentoberead.com/
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