em dash in word

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Em dash. From now on, press the shortcut key whenever you want to insert an en dash. To create the AutoCorrect entry: If you’re using a word processor, like Microsoft Word, you can also type double hyphens next to each other to produce an 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.. Insert En Dashes in Word Using AutoCorrect. Word (on a Mac or a PC) will automatically render an em dash when two hyphens are typed, unspaced, between words. However, the em-dash is (for our use) the most important symbol missing and it’s not in this plugin either. The Em-dash and En-dash are on the ‘Special Characters’ menu (Insert | Symbol | More Symbols …) along with many other characters. Press and hold down the Alt key; While pressing down the Alt key, type 0150 using the numeric keypad to insert the symbol. In the Word Options window, click the Proofing option in the left navigation pane. The commonly used ones with Word shortcuts are first, followed by others in the Unicode set for interest/comparison. The words are crammed right up against the ends of the em-dash rather than having a nice spaced look. The uses mentioned above (as taken from the Unicode standard) should primarily be taken as typical uses in American English. Below is a breakdown of the En Dash Symbol shortcut for Windows:. This dash is called em dash because it is one em wide. Examples of Sentences with Em Dashes Use em dashes to identify a parenthetical clause (an inessential phrase that adds information) in a sentence. When a range with en dash falls at the end of a sentence, Word will split the number after the en dash to next line. There are many ways to generate long horizontal lines, involving tables or symbols, but the easiest way is to simply start a new line, type several dashes (at least three) and go to the next line by punching Enter. Example: 1990 – 1995 Word automatically converts the hyphen to an en dash. The closet thing to an em dash on the keyboard is a hyphen (-), which is too short to be a substitute for it. If you have this capability turned off, however, you may be wondering how to get an em dash … ; These are the steps you may use to type this sign in Word or Excel. Em and En dashes. in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an understanding of the rest of the sentence: Thousands of children—like the girl in this photograph—have been left homeless. Cause When you type text that is followed by a space and a hyphen, and then type more text, Word automatically inserts an en dash. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. Or press the Alt key while typing 0151 on the numeric keypad. To enable or disable the AutoFormat feature and options in Microsoft Word, follow the steps below for the version of Word on your computer. The following words -ants can see legs- are enclosed in hyphens.When you do this, you find that the first hyphen is converted into an en dash, but the second one remains unchanged. The em dash can be made in Microsoft Word by pressing CTRL + ALT + the minus sign -, located on the keypad. In Microsoft Word, an em dash can be typed with ctrl + alt + numeric hyphen. 3 em dashes. If you do the following, AutoFormat will insert an Em dash (—) as you type.In a Word document: Type a word, with no space after it.. Word senses this as you finished the word following the dashes, and then replaces them with the em dash. Make an em dash or en dash with a keyboard shortcut. In today’s article, you’ll learn about all the available methods you can use to type the Em Dash Symbol in Word using Windows or Mac. You assign the en dash to a set of characters, for example, "en*". To generate an em dash in Word, simply hit the minus key twice, and then hit the spacebar, and—voila!—the two dashes will turn into one long em dash. In Word you can automatically generate en and em dashes by using the hyphen key and AutoCorrect. I've been trying to get by using -- but Word Perfect keeps deleting one of the dashes. In Microsoft Word: Em dash (—): Alt+Ctrl+ – (minus) En dash (–): Ctrl + – (minus) In a Phrase document:. 1. An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used in place of other punctuation and can add style. Especially the en dash and em dash have language-dependent uses. The en dash will replace"en*" every time you type those characters in. The em dash, which is used to break up sentences in a similar way to parentheses, can be made by holding down the “Control” and “Alt” keys, and pressing the dash key. I have the same question except there are no character maps or shortcut set ups in Gmail or the Mail app. The 2 em dash can be used to indicate missing letters in a word, either because material is missing or illegible, or to conceal a name. Create a nonbreaking dash in Microsoft Word that will keep words or numbers connected by an em dash or an en dash from separating at the end of a line. And, voila! The em dash is a character that some people add to documents as an alternative to brackets, but it’s not included on most standard QWERTY keyboards. Finding the em dash and en dash. If you’re using a mac, hold down the “Option” key and press dash to make an en dash. Word processors provide for insertion of these marks—you just have to you … A nonbreaking dash will stop words or numbers connected by an en dash or em dash from separating at the end of a line. Now when I do it, I get three em dashes with little gaps in between them instead of a seamless 3-em dash. For example, Mr. H—— and Mr. S—— entered into a legal agreement. Insert an Em dash, using AutoFormat. Click the File tab. I went from Mac to Surface and this no shortcut for "em dash" is driving me nuts because all the answers that exist don't work for the simple case of writing an email in the Mail app or browser instance and/or quickly editing a google doc. I feel like this is leading me into a “When two dashes love each other…” bit. You can setup an AutoCorrect entry to insert an en dash. Here’s a table showing some of the many hyphen/dash symbols available. On a Mac, the keyboard shortcut Option + Dash (-) makes an en dash, and Option + Shift + Dash (-) makes an em dash. When to Use Em Dash (—) with Examples. 5. It's driving me up the wall. As you can see, the em dash is the longest of the three, and roughly the width of the letter m, which is how it got its name. :-} When I create an em-dash in MS Word by typing two dashes between words with no spaces, I end up with something that doesn’t look like your examples or published works. While word processors usually automatically insert an em dash when you type two hyphens, keyboards typically lack dedicated keys for the em or en dash. However, Word provides a built-in nonbreaking hyphen that is simpler to use than the process for dashes. The em dash can be used to make a break—like this—in the flow of a sentence, or to make a parenthetic remark. Put in an Em dash, using AutoFormat If you perform the right after, AutoFormat will insert an Na dash ( -) as you kind. Note that this is only available using the hyphen on the numeric keypad not the main keyboard. Thanks for this, but I’m still having em-dash issues. 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