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Em Dashes

mike carey

By mike carey
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mike carey Grand Master

mike carey

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I generally try to use propa gramma and punctuation, don't always succeed, and tend to edit my mistakes out of posts if I notice them. One thing I'm usually lazy about is various dashes. I confess, I usually use space/hyphen/space, but I have been shamed by so many guys using em-dashes properly in a forum like this that is pretty casual for the most part. Sooo, I've taken the hint—even though it was not a deliberate one—and will try to do things properly!

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mike carey Grand Master

mike carey

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For tech- and grammar- impaired louts such as myself, would somebody kindly tell me how to enter an em-dash (as opposed to a hyphen) through a mac-laptop keyboard?

 

Sorry can't help you, PC user here. A Mac may create it automatically! On my PC I have to go into the character map to find it, hence my previous use of hyphens.

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wisconsinguy Collaborator

wisconsinguy

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Oh god, the Grammar Police have recruited another one. Am I going to be the only one with sentences so long that OJ will finish his sentence before I finish mine? I love good grammar, but what do you want "good grammar or good taste'?
I am also guilty of the run-on. Getting a message across, or offering some help/humor is important to me.
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WilliamM Grand Master

+ WilliamM

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I am also guilty of the run-on. Getting a message across, or offering some help/humor is important to me

 

Humor is essential here. That's why I miss people like Rick Munroe and others who could write a fun post in their sleep! Just to be fair, we still have plenty of people here who can dash of a funny post with the best of them. Chris Eisenhower (of the Gettsburg/White House Eisenhowers) is a great example.

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azdr0710 Grand Master

+ azdr0710

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wow, gotta say I've never heard of em dashes vs. en dashes in all my days until this day.....weird.....I just called them hyphens or dashes.....what is the use and distinction of each?.....

 

I aced my math SAT, but only got a 500 on the verbal SAT, by the way

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RadioRob Grand Master

RadioRob

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This answer is stolen from StackExchange (so I don't take credit for the content, but just the fact that I looked it up, haha) :

 

An em-dash is typically used as a stand-in for a comma or parenthesis to separate out phrases—or even just a word—in a sentence for various reasons (i.e. an appositive). Examples where an em-dash should be used:

 

  • School is based on the three R’s—reading, writing, and ’rithmetic.
  • Against all odds, Pete—the unluckiest man alive—won the lottery.
  • I sense something; a presence I've not felt since—

An en-dash is used to connect values in a range or that are related. A good rule is to use it when you're expressing a "to" relationship. Examples where an en-dash should be used:

 

  • in years 1939–1945
  • pages 31–32 may be relevant
  • New York beat Los Angeles 98–95
  • When American English would use an em-dash – following British and Canadian conventions.

A hyphen is used to join words in a compound construction, or separate syllables of a word, like during a line break, or (self-evidently) a hyphenated name.

 

  • pro-American
  • cruelty-free eggs
  • em-dash
  • it's pronounced hos-pi-tal-it-tee
  • Olivia Newton-John

Finally, a minus sign is distinct from all three of the above.

 

  • 4 − 2 = 2.

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doitb4ugo Grand Master

doitb4ugo

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Not so simple in the MS Windows world.

 

The em-dash can be created on the PC by using holding down the ALT key and typing 0151 on the numeric keypad. Only the numbers on the right hand keypad do this, not the numbers above the letters.

 

Other methods exist but not elucidated here.

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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I never use the what ever it's called dash... but I do have a penchant for the "three dot" thing... It has become a part of my writing style ever since I started using a computer or now mostly an iPad... I'm totally addicted to the "..." Thing. The only real problem has occurred when in the early days of my submitting reviews here the "... " thing would come out as some crazy other type of punctuation that made absolutely no sense... Consequently... I had to be very careful when submitting reviews so as not to drive Daddy... or more specifically his program... totally crazy.

 

So long live the three dot thing... and to hell with the balderdash!

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bigvalboy Grand Master

bigvalboy

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I never use the what ever it's called dash... but I do have a penchant for the "three dot" thing... It has become a part of my writing style ever since I started using a computer or now mostly an iPad... I'm totally addicted to the "..." Thing. The only real problem has occurred when in the early days of my submitting reviews here the "... " thing would come out as some crazy other type of punctuation that made absolutely no sense... Consequently... I had to be very careful when submitting reviews so as not to drive Daddy... or more specifically his program... totally crazy.

 

So long live the three dot thing... and to hell with the balderdash!

 

As am I...:D

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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As am I...:D

And that's not the only thing to which we are both addicted... ;)

Worse--the Punctuation Patrol!

Auntie Em! Auntie Em! :eek:

Plus... I also agree that Mr. Smith's "Auntie Em" post is one if his best ever... and he has posted quite a few classics here... and to think (based on another thread) that he is posting here while being distracted at work!

 

Now all those ... were a totally subconscious thing!

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AdamSmith Grand Master

AdamSmith

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whipped guy, your post just gave me a glimmer about my OP here. To be sure, Facebook has given me great pleasure through reconnecting with some old friends. But so much content there is contentious, or a lot worse--and at the same time futile to really respond to, either publicly or even just internally. Whereas this forum by contrast is, mostly, a sheer delight! For all the reasons you said a couple of posts above.

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whipped guy Grand Master

whipped guy

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whipped guy, your post just gave me a glimmer about my OP here. To be sure, Facebook has given me great pleasure through reconnecting with some old friends. But so much content there is contentious, or a lot worse--and at the same time futile to really respond to, either publicly or even just internally. Whereas this forum by contrast is, mostly, a sheer delight! For all the reasons you said a couple of posts above.

This is great news as it hopefully will insure that you will be posting here for some time to come, and be doing so in the Chicago manner. As in early and often! :)

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