![]() I have yet to see a case where using a hyphen (-) in place of an en-dash (–) causes confusion, so I don’t worry too much about en-dashes. Example: The gene expression-after normalization, of course-showed enrichment in the… Example: 7%–9%Įm-dash: width of the letter m a punctuation mark to set apart parenthetic statements. Example: well-oiledĮn-dash: width of the letter n used as the symbol for ranges. They differ in width, and they mean different things! Many people use a hyphen for all 3 don’t be one of those people. Like a colon, an em dash introduces a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes set off extra information, such as examples, explanatory or descriptive phrases, or supplemental facts. Here’s a brief summary that will help you use hyphens correctly.įirst, you have to be aware: there are 3 different symbols that all look like little lines: the hyphen (-), the en-dash (–), and the em-dash (-). En dashes help relate words and numbers to one another, while em dashes are used to offset words and phrases with emphasis. The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis. Besides the regrettable effect of proclaiming that you do not understand the difference, more importantly, this mistake often leads to ambiguity and confusion. (known as an en-dash) for ranges (for example, '37' means '3 to 7') - (known as a em-dash) punctuation for digressions in a sentencethough how it differs from a parenthetical comment I have never knownwhich is why you dont see it much. You can read it as representing to or through: Make sure to use en dashes, not hyphens, for numerical ranges like this. Keyboard Shortcuts for the En Dash and Em Dash:įor more punctuation help, see our comprehensive guide to the 14 punctuation marks everyone needs to master.In lots of scientific writing-both published and unpublished-I see authors use hyphens where they intend to use an em-dash. (known as an hyphen) between the elements of compound words. The main use of the en dash is to indicate a range of numbers or a span of time. It took a large number of people to push the car up the hill-Katy, James, Joe and Brenda, to name a few. See the quotation dash section of the Quotation mark, non-English usage article for further details of how it is used. The Octopus-who was really quite ugly-swam under the boat and escaped the net. Horizontal bar U+2015 horizontal bar, also known as a quotation dash, is used to introduce quoted text.This is the standard method of printing dialogue in some languages. Their main use is to convey an abrupt change of topic or thought and they should be used sparingly. I think she’s of college–university age.Įm dashes can be used in the place of a number of punctuation marks including commas, parenthesis, semi-colons and colons and-although many people do use them in formal writing-they are mostly suited to informal documents. The award-winning lake is situated on the England–Scotland border. The en dash is also often used in the place of a hyphen to combine open compounds: ![]() It is sunny all year round in Singapore, but the rain is heaviest November–January. The job is suitable for people who already have some experience in marketing and the ideal candidate will be aged 30–40. One of the biggest uses of an en dash is between periods of time where otherwise you may use the word “to”: The en dash should be used in place of brackets or commas to add supplementary information to a sentence. Not exactly rocket science is it? However, it’s really their basic usage that you really need to get to grips with when revising your writing. The em dash is the length of a lower case letter “m” and the en dash is the length of the letter “n.” When using the em dash and the en dash you should not leave any spaces between the punctuation and the next word. The first basic concept to get your head around concerns the length of the punctuation mark. Otherwise, you may find yourself guilty of making funny punctuation mistakes. the en dash it is critical that writers are aware of the major differences between the two punctuation marks and that they ensure they use them correctly and in the appropriate format in their written documents.
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