"Em dash" is a printing/typesetting term, and it refers to a dash the width of the capital letter "M". The shorter dash is similarly referred to as an "en dash." There is also the hyphen, which is usually smaller than the en dash. With some modern day fonts, there wouldn't be much difference between the en dash and hyphen.
Em dash can be represented numerically using in HTML, or '\u2014' in Java.
En dash can be represented numerically using in HTML, or '\u2013' in Java.
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It is like a hyphen, only wider. It is meant to be the width of the letter m which is how it got its name. It is used to indicate that a sentence is unfinished because the speaker has been interrupted, or can be used to indicate a pause in speech.
An em dash is the width of an m. Use an em dash sparingly in formal writing. In informal writing, em dashes may replace commas, semicolons, colons, and parentheses to indicate added emphasis, an interruption, or an abrupt change of thought.
Check your keyboard it's between the number zero and the plus symbol at the top right of the regular 105+ US keyboard. This is a hyphen and not a dash. If you use the hyphen key, you must use it twice to make a dash, but this still is not a dash as there is a space between the two hyphens. There are two types of dashes. The en dash and the em dash. The en dash is bigger than a hyphen, but smaller than a em dash. The em dash is what most would want to use. The way to type is as follows: en dash - hold down the "alt" key and type 0150. em dash - hold down the "alt" key and type 0151 - Note the dash used in each of the instructions. The first is an en dash, and the second is an em dash. The character beneath them is a hyphen.
em dash
To indicate a sentence is unfinished.
em dash
First of all, lets talk about the difference between the em dash and the en dash. The em dash [--] is longer (about the width of capital M) than the en dash [-] (about the width of capital N). Both are longer than a hyphen. In a non-formatted or limited format medium, such as this web site, the em dash is represented by two hyphens [--]. The en dash is used to indicate range of values, such as between dates and times. Eg. 'This book is written for ages 3-5' The em dash is used to indicate an interruption Eg. "By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity--another man's, I mean." (Mark Twain). Or to show an abrupt change in thought Eg. I wish you would--oh, never mind.
Riddle: What is the world's longest punctuation mark? Answer: The one hundred meter dash.
To make an em dash, you just type in two hyphens with spaces before and after -- the word processor will change it into a "long dash."
A dash represents an abrupt shift in a sentence. It separates a clause or phrase from rest of the sentence, either for emphasis or to introduce a phrase inside of parenthesis. Dashes may also be used to separate quoted material from its author.There are two types of dashes, the em and en dash. An en dash can be used for time periods (eg. June, 2005-March 2011) whereas an em dash is used as a comma replacement in certain instances of writing.
To make a long dash on Pages, you can use the shortcut option + - (hyphen) keys on your keyboard. This will automatically convert the hyphen into a long dash. Alternatively, you can go to Insert > Special Characters and search for "Em Dash" to insert it directly into your document.
As far as I know...no the ones in the sides come off easily since the dash material is soft the once in the center are a pain and I can't get em off.
When text is followed by two hyphens and then a space, the two hyphens are often changed to an em dash (—) in some word processing programs and websites with automatic formatting. It is used to indicate a break in thought or emphasize a statement within a sentence.