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. There is no piece of punctuation that means pause. 1. What ‽ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. Translation. To insert an em dash in MS Word, you must: Type a word (don’t put a space after it) Type two hyphens. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. style guides frequently recommend using em dashes for the purposes above, while using en dashes for ranges, etc. — Lo siento, no lo sabía. Em dashes for interruptions: Use em dashes when you are interrupting the main idea of a sentence. 👉 Em dash Mac: hold down the option + shift + the hyphen keys and viola! 👉 Em dash Word: tap the minus sign twice and continue writing. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. g. But instead of eating the period, the em dash will completely bail when they’re about to meet up. However, it depends on the usage and meaning. The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. We use ellipses to indicate omissions of words, phrases, or even whole sentences. , accordingly, consequently, for example, nevertheless, so, thus). . Em dash. d) Working 9-5 daily, and keeping up with homework is difficult. m. Question marks, exclamation points, and dashes fall inside or outside closing quotations. The em dash (—) is twice as long as the en. as you would the phrase and the rest. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. If you’re operating on a Mac, the basic instructions for MS Word and Google Docs above should still apply — though you’ll have different keyboard shortcuts. Whenever I have text surrounded by a dash symbol i. Follow the end quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. The em dash, or long dash, is the only punctuation mark on a keyboard that. hphen – en dash – em dash — 2-em dash —— 3-em dash ———. 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. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. But in that case the dash is supposed to be the length of the omitted word, not just a mere em-dash. (stenoscript) When used as punctuation, an en or em dash is doubled, like a long ⹀, to distinguish it from its phonetic use. Treat etc. However, you can use dashes or em-dashes. 7. The em is the longest in the dash suite. (We won’t get into the serial comma issue here. (Note that AP style does not use en-dashes. Nope, no need for spaces! In US English, there should only be a space before an em dash if it’s at the start of a sentence and after an em dash if it’s at the end of a sentence. To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. It's a completely different use case. "SAMPLE - TEXT". I tried using sharpkeys but it wouldn't let me use a chord, only single key press. Between independent clauses linked by a transitional expression. The en dash is shorter than an em dash but longer than a hyphen. ” The answer given does not answer his question. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. You create an em-dash by typing two hyphens, and most word processing programs will tie them automatically into the longer dash. The em dash, on the other hand, is a colorful punctuation mark — it can be used to make a strong point! The comma is great for describing, listing, and linking clauses, but it is easy for commas. Identify the sentence that is punctuated correctly. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 1 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. Although these punctuation marks look similar at a glance, they are actually distinct punctuation marks with specific intended uses and with distinct unicode character values. 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. The dash ( — ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Type the keyboard shortcut or caret code into the Find what text box (see figure 4). The conventions for dialogue allow a narrator to “interrupt” the speakers at any time and for any reason. Many people use these two dashes interchangeably. In Arabic, which is also written from right. Here are the two simple steps to type the — using Alt code from your keyboard. , I need 1 thing – money. This little symbol is beloved. Google Docs: Type two hyphens in a row (it will become an en dash) If you’re using Microsoft Word, you can use autoformat to create an en dash. Some methods for forming these punctuation marks on a PC: En dash—hold down the Alt key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. 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. (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). In MS Word, enable Num Lock and press Ctrl + Minus Key. Ron Barrett. Like the em dash, the en dash is typically available on your word processor’s symbol map, or it may even be inserted automatically by your word processor when you type inclusive numbers or dates with a hyphen between them. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. In Unicode, the em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212). If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. There are two alternatives: (1) shitted, which appears about once for every instance of shat; and (2) shit, uninflected in the past tense. The Dash. There are two common types of dashes: en dash and em dash which vary in length. They represent something. —dijo María con calma. The “slightly different” part is, to me, the em dash’s appeal summarized. " I know you can replace em dashes with — and n-dashes with – (which should be done on the input side of your database); I don't know what the correct replacement for the smart quotes would be. Capitalize only the following words: the first word of the title or heading. Waggon was preferred in British English until a century ago, 1 and it still appears occasionally, but it is fast becoming archaic. The following example from Toni Morrison’s Beloved shows both uses: “Nothing bad can happen to her. Whether it's better to use a comma here or an em dash is another matter. The em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that can be used in both formal and informal writing. The exclamation point and question mark denote strong emotion or a question, respectively. — Question Mark. When a pair of em dashes sets off material ending with an exclamation point or a question mark, the mark is placed inside the dashes. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. 2)”Are you OK?” is a direct question. For example: The company’s profits have been steadily declining over the past year — a trend that is cause for concern. ” No spaces on either side of the em dash. The en-dash is commonly used to show range as in dates (e. But if you use them, you’ll find they can show up near a lot of punctuation marks besides dashes. U+1F67D. Guion Largo o Raya – Em Dash. This type of dash is usually used to omit a person's name or. “What are you talking about—wait, Johnny said it was Maria!”. ) when I included the Insert statement to store data retrieved from the final select statement to a table, the dash character is being replaced with another character. Em dash. Original text in html page Click the Edit button to change a field's label, width and type-ahead options Replace text in html page Click the Edit button to change a. For example, “the years 2020–2022” or “the hours 9:00 a. Intuition is important to survival: studies show that instinct can beat analytical thinking in a crisis. These dashes differ not only in their length but also in the function they perform in a sentence. Proofreading marks and symbols Although a significant amount of editing and proofreading is now done using tools such as Microsoft’s track changes feature and Adobe’s commenting tool, you may find yourself faced with traditional proofreading marks and symbols on a printed document someday. In most situations, a colon is better than an em dash, but if the list is being tacked on to the end of a complete sentence, or feels like an aside (see above), then an em dash might make sense. 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. APPLICATION. Interrupters—like this right here—are words, phrases, or clauses that break the flow of writing. No commas following the em dashes. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. Dashes and hyphens aren’t the same thing. 9. When you use AutoCorrect Options, you can also click Stop Automatically Creating Dashes, or click Control AutoCorrect Options to open the AutoCorrect dialog box. "-", the line in notepad will look like this for e. An em dash can also mark dialogue, signify an interruption, indicate a sudden break in thought, and introduce a list. Thoreau believes that “if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life. A period may precede an em dash if it is part of an abbreviation (see also 14. Em dashes, in contrast, are frequently used to signal an abrupt change, suggest a pause, or set off a clause within a sentence. In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, you’ll have access to the. You will only be tested on the rules of the em dash, which is what we’ll cover here. 1. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. Use an em dash to mark sharp turns in thought. I went out with a guy based on his use of dashes once. The verdict was unanimous — guilty. Write an en dash. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. 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. Sometimes, a character might stutter or stammer over certain words. ” Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts (skinny letters and fat letters. For example, with mo—n for 'more than', the dash is likely to be written at x-height. If you prefer, you can configure your keyboard in Windows to accept Unicode codepoint numbers, instead of "traditional". British authors often prefer to use an en-dash ( – ) with spaces on either side rather than the em. Examples. APPLICATION. Em-dashes in Place of a Semicolon. Em dashes join onto the words before and after—like this. There are two types of dash. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. Who doesn’t like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the following guidelines: • Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. em-dash — Long hyphen (—) named em-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. Another way to create them is to press and hold Alt and type 0151 on a Windows device or select Option, Shift, and the hyphen key ( ‐) on a Mac. g. 3 Answers Sorted by: 2 No, because the dash (which should properly be an M-dash, like this — ) is an interrupter. To create interrupted dialogue that everyone will recognize as such, use an em-dash where you want to end the dialogue. I just replace ' with ’ text like below and my site in browser show apostrophe without rectangle around as in question ask. I agree that it should try to match the size of the missing word. Comments. Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Bone2pick, Dec 12, 2022. –5:00 p. Ellipsis (…) [edit | edit source] A sequence of three dots is known as an ellipsis, which is commonly used to indicate omitted text. Mac. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons—in each case to slightly different effect. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. @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. The em dash is used when an idea is being interrupted, when clarification is needed, when elaboration is needed, or when items are being listed in a sentence. On our way to school, we walk past the Turner Farm—the oldest dairy farm in town—and watch the cows being fed. Infographic: How to use an em dash. Collingwood as Mr. The dashes are more prominent, and thus suggest a more prominent comment. In Word, you’ll hold down Shift+ Option+minus rather than the Ctrl+Alt+minus mentioned above. Em dashes can also signal an interruption or a sudden change in the direction a writer was heading with a particular sentence. 5. Yeah, it could be seen as completed, but in that case the em-dash adds a bit of expression that wouldn't be there without it. Example: She gave him her answer—No! Exclamation Mark (!) An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. Em-dashes. ”. ". Deploy single quote marks used for quotes within dialogue. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. In fiction, as in other kinds of writing, you'll still want to use the em dash to indicate. JAWS is the most likely of the screen readers to read these kinds of punctuation marks. 27, 2015. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. Numeric Keypad: Windows allows the user to type any available character, including diacritical marks, by holding down one of the Alt keys while typing in a numeric code on the numeric keypad, if one is available. In particular, do not use the colon-dash (:—) to introduce a quotation or a list. Insert em Dash. Em dashes can be used in the following ways: 1. That may occasionally appear in old writing, where em dashes after commas and semicolons are more common. m. dashes. 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). The word “em” is actually a typographical unit of measurement. En & Em Dashes While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes. 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. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. Although en dashes look similar to hyphens, they have a specific purpose and meaning – en dashes connect words in place of the word “to” or “through”. Using Em Dashes (–) and Em Dashes (—) There are two different kinds of dashes: (1) en dashes and (2) em dashes. Em dashes are most often used in pairs to call a reader’s attention to the material they set off, making words, phrases, or clauses particularly dramatic or emotional. How to use en dashes. Aether still appears as a poetic affectation, especially in reference to the word’s ancient Greek and Latin senses, but. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. Sometimes, the comma indicates a pause that would occur if the sentence were spoken aloud. 4. Paréntesis (Parentheses) 10. “November Cotton Flower” by Jean. For example: It depends on one thing — trust. Em Dash — : ALT 0151; En Dash – : ALT 0150; Double Left Angle Quotation Mark « : ALT 0171 ; Double Right Angle Quotation Mark » : ALT 0187; Inverted Question Mark ¿ : ALT 0191; Inverted Exclamation Mark ¡ : ALT 0161; Symbol and Special Characters. -->if the information being set off is at the end of the sentence, use just one em dash. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. How to type — Em Dash?. Examples. If you're including terminal punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation mark), your speaker's sentence isn't being interrupted, so you wouldn't use em dashes at all. The em dash does not mean pause. Workaround. ) To offset additional information just like commas and. In MS Word, enable Num Lock and press Ctrl + Minus Key. When a pair of em dashes sets off material ending with an exclamation point or a question mark, the mark is placed inside the dashes. For degrees, use a space between the en dash and the degree and the emphasis. It has three primary functions: to connect two words and make them into a compound, to separate parts of a word at the end of a line, and to separate a prefix or suffix from a root word. There should be no space on either side of the dash, including when it is followed by a quotation mark. The question mark needs to go after Language. Imagine someone saying the line, rather than it being inner monologue. In the case of an actual question being asked I feel the mark would go before the em-dash. It’s longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. . Em dashes can be used to. Examine these useful hyphen, em dash and en dash examples. QUESTION MARK U+003F: Po, other Common @ COMMERCIAL AT U+0040: Po, other Common REVERSE SOLIDUS U+005C: Po,. Question mark! Exclamation point, Comma; Semicolon: Colon-Hyphen – En dash — Em dash. In short: the em-dash cannot be used in Spanish like any of those English examples, except perhaps 2(a). Your specific issue regards "smart quotes," "em dashes" and "en dashes. The general rule is that a sentence ends with only one terminal punctuation mark. 87): English learners commonly make the mistake of using em dashes incorrectly. College communications rarely require the formal four-point ellipsis. 2. g. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. “What space?”. To show a break in narration or conversation in place of an ellipsis. ” The slash is sometimes used to convey the same meaning. [Emphasis mine. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. Mabel tried, despite her. It could be written with a semicolon, a colon, or a period (or a. The – is called an en dash. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. S. Fig. Most commonly, a dash connects an independent clause with another, with a. At the end of a sentence. em-dash — Long hyphen (—) named em-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. Most of the time you will see a space before and after this dash. 91 Em dashes in lieu of quotation marks; 6. And like a colon, it can introduce a word or a clause that describes or expands upon what precedes it. Notice in these examples, the em-dash has no spaces around it, while the en-dash does. Parenthesis, em dash, and en dash - Create sentences that need parenthesis, em dashes, and en dashes but leave them out. Question Mark (?) In grammar, a question mark is a familiar punctuation used to end interrogative sentences. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. A hyphen (-) is shorter still. 2. 51). Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through. This eliminates option A. It’s equal to the specific point size in any given typeface. Don’t use end quotes between paragraphs of speech. What ‽ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. The hyphen (-) should be used in compound names and words as follows: In phrasal adjectives, which follow “three basic rules: (1) Generally, if it is placed before a noun, you should. According to CMOS, “in British usage, an en dash (with space before and after) is usually preferred to the em dash as punctuation in running text. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. Dashes might look like hyphens, but they aren’t the same. “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. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It then gives two examples, the second of them demonstrating that "the period . That said, let’s look at the two dashes and what makes them different. Follow. Examples. To help indicate this “cut” between the two parts, many poems use punctuation, typically an em dash (—) or an ellipsis ( . Any grammer Nazi's out there that have the answer, please do so ASAP. Learn how to use each type in a sentence with these examples and best practices. We met during the 2011 – 2012 school year. For example: C++ is a rich language—one requiring extensive experience to fully understand. Technically, the mark designating feet is a prime; the mark designating inches is a double prime. The translation being made in our system is from a small subset of characaters to an upside-down question mark. Le lineette (in inglese Em Dashes) "—" La lineetta è utilizzata in inglese per segnalare degli incisi enfatici, quindi spesso sostituendo virgole, parentesi e due punti italiani. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. The Space In French Punctuation. As its name suggests, an em dash (—) is roughly the length of the letter M, while an en dash (–) more closely matches an N. Press the spacebar. The em-dash would indicate something like raising the eyebrows right at the end, or tilting the head down and looking up from under the eyebrows. Just like in narrative, dashes can be used in dialogue to set off clauses within sentences. You can use such punctuation as periods, commas, semi-colons, colons, parentheses, brackets, quotation marks, dashes, exclamation points, question marks and some others. Remember to: Use a colon to emphasize dialogue, show titles and time, or introduce a list. Note: When the second clause expands on or explains the first, the colon is the better mark. To create the em dash on a Macintosh-based system, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press. Typesetters will most likely try to track you down and beat you to death if they. That's it! Now, your ugly text messages at least won't break code or URLs. Also, "overuse of the em dash weakens the flow of material" (APA, 2020, p. The em dash indicates a shift in Isaac's mood. 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. Em dashes also substitute for something missing. The em-dash would indicate something like raising the eyebrows right at the end, or tilting the head down and looking up from under the. In general, em dashes should be avoided in formal writing because they are often used in place of necessary punctuation, parentheses, or further explanation. g. Wave dash ( ～)Sorted by: 58. figure dash – 8211: 2013 – en dash — 8212: 2014 — em dash ― 8213: 2015 : horizontal bar ‖ 8214: 2016 : double vertical line ‗ 8215: 2017 : double low line ‘ 8216: 2018 ‘ left single quotation mark ’ 8217: 2019 ’ right single quotation mark ‚ 8218: 201a ‚ single low-9 quotation mark ‛ 8219: 201b. The good news is that the ACT isn’t going to test you on the differences between the two. The closest thing I could find was this: Is it acceptable to place a dash after a question mark? An em dash—or dash for short—is a straight, horizontal line positioned about halfway between the bottom and top of a lower-case letter. In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. Use an en dash for ranges and an em dash to separate non-essential information. Writers have three choices of punctuation to set off sentence interrupters—commas, parentheses, and em dashes. Some word processing programs read the two hyphens automatically as the single mark of punctuation known as an em dash, which the program will process as this: (—). Wagon and waggon are different spellings of the same word meaning, among other things, a sturdy four-wheeled vehicle for transporting things. On the other hand, the em-dash works in full sentences and can take the place of commas, colons, and. This is a common editing mark and has several uses, but its primary purpose is to separate clauses and huge parts of the sentence. Your specific issue regards "smart quotes," "em dashes" and "en dashes. Type another word. Actually, the rules are fairly set on spaces before or after an "em-dash" -- you don't use them. The Oxford Manual of Style once stated, “If you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad. The raya is used to clarify something, in a similar way to parentheses. [Emphasis mine. answered Jul 7, 2010 at 7:53. The en dash (–) is one-half the width of an em. SQL Developer is Java based which does not use NLS_LANG settings but SQL*Plus does, so you have to set NLS_LANG properly. 1. One other exception is dialogue, where authors will. Don’t overthink it—let intuition guide you. Alternatively, pairs of em dashes are used to mark off additionalMy question is the same as keymap swap underscore and dash, but for Windows instead of Linux. In order to type an en dash on a Mac product, you can hold down the ‘Option’ and ‘-‘ keys simultaneously and an en dash ‘–’ should appear. Perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons. ” Stutters, Stammers, and Pauses. The em dash is treated like a question mark or an exclamation mark, which are both followed by the closing. Though not necessarily a matter of punctuation, there is one important distinction between American and British usage when it comes to dates. On a Mac: En dash—press option+hyphen key. 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. , 1 May–13 June) To divide a compound adjective with two equal parts (e. By changing the console code page to something that does support the en dash character, such as 1252, this problem may be corrected. Punctuation marks, like words and paragraph breaks, are tools. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. It is slightly shorter in length, visually resembling a hyphen, but with different usage. Follow the end quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. If you want to stop -- from being turned into — (emdash) you need to use the + button and add a new rule to replace -- with -- (replace with itself) Or, right click in a text field and go to "Substitutions" and disable "Smart. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. punctuation. 1. Use the en dash ("short dash") to join inclusive numbers:. The en dash, often overlooked, is a punctuation mark that can be used in place of an em dash. Picture the em dash the same width as the letter “M” and the en dash the same width as the letter “N. 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. Write an en dash. em. Thanks very much for your reply, Jennifer. As an outcome those characters are generated in the excel as shown below, which contains a kind of question mark. ”. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. Some writers even use three or more exclamation points, lest the reader not fully grasp the significance of what is being said. And an example:There are 14 punctuation marks that are used in the English language. Em Dash: —. , “fast-paced,” “shake-up,” “four-year-old,” “post-punk. Ellipses for omitted material spanning two or more sentences. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. Dashes and hyphens. quotation mark. Upon firing the company’s non-salaried employees—and. En-dash: An en-dash is wider than a hyphen but narrower than an em-dash. Pre-electric typewriters normally had only the hyphen-width dash to apply to situations calling for em dashes, so the usual method in U. 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. In AP style, the dash should be set off with spaces on both sides. 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. To create an em-dash on a Mac computer, hold down the shift and option/alt and type -. You may see an EN dash used in the same way as the EM dash. Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. This. ) The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. 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”). “Wait!” she shouted. TWO-EM DASH U+2E3A: Pd, dash Common ⸻ THREE-EM DASH U+2E3B: Pd, dash Common ⹀ DOUBLE HYPHEN U+2E40: Pd, dash Common 〜 WAVE DASH U+301C: Pd, dash Common 〰 WAVY DASH. Ah, the ol’ 疑問符 (ぎもんふ ) — gimonfu, a. Always put commas and periods inside the quote. More Punctuation Rules Read all about the most common and rare punctuation marks, from question marks to em dashes and parentheses to interrobangs. The em dash suggests an instantaneous jump from one part to the other, as if the two parts are both happening at the same time. It also works for supplemental essays (SUPER useful for ones that make you write under 125 words *ahem Yale). The comma is the punctuation mark most likely to cause angst. They also establish a relationship between words and ideas. It is longer than a hyphen (-) or an en dash (–). Several options will pop up, including the em dash. “Yes, you did!”. Em dash: —. 5. On cell phones running Android’s Gboard or iOS operating systems, press and hold the hyphen on the onscreen keyboard.