The three main dashes in punctuation are the hyphen (-), used for joining words (e.g., well-being); the en dash (–), used for ranges (e.g., pages 10–20); and the em dash (—), used for breaks or parenthetical elements (e.g., He said—I'm not sure—he left). While the hyphen is common, en and em dashes add nuance, with the en dash being shorter than the em dash, often shown by typing two hyphens (--) to create an em dash.
A three-em dash, ———, indicates that a word has been left out or that an unknown word or figure is to be supplied.
The most common versions are the en dash –, generally longer than the hyphen but shorter than the minus sign; the em dash —, longer than either the en dash or the minus sign; and the horizontal bar ―, whose length varies across typefaces but tends to be between those of the en and em dashes.
3 em dashes
These are used in bibliographies when the author's name is repeated. ———. Adventures in Fancy. New York: Labadie & Sons.
Yes, em dashes are used in Australia, but there's a common preference for the spaced en dash (–) (like "this – that") for parenthetical elements, as recommended by the digital edition of the Australian Style Manual and many publishers, for better screen reader readability. While the traditional, unspaced em dash (—) is also used (often following the Style Manual's print edition or American styles), consistency is key, and many Australian writers and style guides prefer the spaced en dash for setting off clauses, notes, or interruptions.
The dash (or, more specifically, the “em dash”) is perhaps the most versatile of the punctuation marks. However, like the semicolon, it is underutilized in most kinds of writing. It can function as a comma, parentheses, or colon, but creates subtly different effects in each case.
In Australia, the Oxford comma (serial comma) is not routinely used in simple lists but is recommended and used when it's necessary to prevent ambiguity and improve clarity, a standard adopted by style guides like the Australian Government Style Manual. While American English often uses it consistently, Australian English takes a more selective approach, prioritizing clarity over rigid rules, making it a "use if needed" punctuation mark, say Charles Darwin University and Capstone Editing.
Create a 3-em dash by entering the em dash three times or six hyphens. You can find the em dash in the symbol drop-down menu in Microsoft Word. Alternatively, press CTRL + ALT + minus key on the numeric keypad, three times. If you're using the proper font (Times New Roman 12), the three dashes will make a solid line.
You can use the em dash to do all of the following:
An em dash derives its name from being the approximate width of a capital M. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes often set off descriptive or parenthetical information.
Common Mistakes with the Dash and Hyphen
Common mistakes include confusing hyphens with dashes and spacing errors. Em dashes typically do not have spaces on either side, while en dashes do.
Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, which might otherwise get confused, with the rest of the sentence: Example: The three female characters—the wife, the nun, and the jockey—are the incarnation of excellence. Dashes are also used to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue: Example: “Help!
They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation mark, and ellipsis. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what each one is and how to use them.
Quick Usage Guideline
Em dashes are longer (—), so they are used between phrases or clauses (groups of words). Hyphens are shorter (-), so they are only used between prefixes and words to make compound words such as self- esteem. Of these three marks of punctuation, the en dash is used the least frequently.
In English, it is normally read aloud as "at", and is also commonly called the at symbol, commercial at (commat), or address sign.
While the ellipsis and the dash both represent breaks in text, the dash—or more precisely, the em dash—represents an abrupt interruption. The dash can also be used to represent a pause, but a more emphatic one than the “soft” pause of an ellipsis.
Once used as the equivalent of the modern period and comma, the slash is now used to represent division and fractions, as a date separator, in between multiple alternative or related terms, and to indicate abbreviation.
A hyphen (-) joins words (like self-esteem) or word parts, while a dash (— or –) separates words to show ranges or pauses, with the longer em dash (—) for emphasis/breaks and the shorter en dash (–) for ranges (like 10–15) or connecting related ideas (like New York–London). Hyphens are shorter and connect; dashes are longer and separate, with different types for different functions.
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that's used to join words or parts of words. It's not interchangeable with other types of dashes.
– press the dash key twice. double dash displays an en-dash; generally joins grouped numbers such as years or pages (1200–1400 B.C. or pages 1–5) — press the dash key three times. triple dash displays an em-dash; used to separate main clauses in a sentence (I love YaleSites — It makes building a web site so easy!
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Common mistakes include using the hyphen instead of the em dash to indicate a pause or change in thought or using the hyphen in place of the en dash to express a range or connection.
Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely to result.
According to Stephen Alomes, a professor of Australian studies at Deakin University, the chant represents "enthusiasm for the tribe" and a "celebration of 'us' ", but at the extreme may act as a symbol of aggressive nationalism and xenophobia.
The Oxford comma (or serial comma) is controversial because it's seen as either essential for clarity or as unnecessary, redundant punctuation, sparking debate over whether it prevents ambiguity (e.g., in legal texts like the famous Maine dairy overtime case) or can sometimes create it, with opponents viewing it as overly pedantic or simply stylistic, while proponents argue it ensures precise meaning and consistent cadence in lists.
“G'day” What does it mean? General greeting, used instead of “hello”, both day and night. Often combined with “mate”, as in…