![]() You can look up other Unicode character codes here. Most compact PC laptop keyboards won’t allow you to use Alt codes to create em dashes and en dashes, but you can use Unicode character codes in most instances: With this set-up, there are no problems creating em and en dashes in my usual way-using Alt codes.īut what if you prefer to use your laptop on-the-go, as it’s intended? Read on… 3. This option will only be appealing to you if you tend to use your laptop like a desktop.įor editing documents, I like to plug my laptop into a massive monitor and attach a wireless mouse and full-size keyboard, complete with a number keypad.Īlternatively, you can plug in a portable USB number keypad and use your laptop keyboard and touchpad. Plug in a full-size external keyboard or keypad. My usual keyboard shortcuts don’t work on my portable laptop, though. Em dash (-): Shift-Alt-hyphen or Command + M.On a regular-size keyboard with a number keypad, I can use keyboard shortcuts to create em dashes and en dashes: (You know there are three kinds of dashes in written English, right? Use them correctly in your writing and you will impress a copyeditor!) 1. It’s a marvel of a machine except for one thing: because it doesn’t have a numeric keypad (less keyboard = better portability), I cannot create em dashes (-) and en dashes (–) in my usual way. Just avoid dashing them off.I have all-in-one laptop that weighs the same as a tablet. So, the next time you find your copy lacking clarity, needing signposting or wanting a touch of levity, the em dash could transform your content. The biggest threat to Livia Othen-Allen’s productivity is allergy-inducing suncream-not lack of 5G. Still, for more creative moments or a splash of informality, the em dash can be used to pivot slightly or even do a complete 180. In content marketing, we want to sound sure of ourselves so this is a less likely scenario. Begin the sentence with the list, then tie it to the end clause with the em dash.īlazer, stripes, monochrome, quiff-Penny Parkes is a #girlboss. The em dash can keep things on track, neatening things up and clearly bundling the items together as a collective. Writing a list of items in a sentence can start to be unwieldy, causing the reader to skim or stray. There is talk of an off-road bike race-”to the death,” rumour has it-between Matt Kilgour and Tom Bransby. What insight could possibly be important enough to be captured by the em dash? The em dash is a drama queen and intrusive, so this attention-grabber needs to be used sparingly. By putting copy between two em dashes instead, your reader can’t help but be drawn to what lies between. Typically, you might write something in parenthesis. Here, you can swap in the em dash to help bring clarity.įour types of sensor-proximity, pressure, position and photoelectric-are used in Sam Walrond’s robotic arm. The copy between the commas is an appositive: a small section of extra information that is inserted into a sentence for clarification. You’ve added some more info to clear up something and all it’s done is muddy the waters. You’ve found yourself with commas all over the shop. So, here’s a quick guide to how and when to use this most alluring of lines. The em dash can replace commas, semicolons and parentheses, with different outcomes. The em dash’s versatility makes it so easy to use-wrongly. The en dash is used to connect numbers and dates, and your run-of-the-mill hyphen connects words together. To add to the confusion, the em dash’s dantier compadres are the en dash (–) and the hyphen (-). Seen in this way, overuse of the em dash starts to sound a bit bonkers when they’re littered across the page. When reading copy aloud, the em dash signals something of a dramatic pause, rather than just a short breath. The em dash (-) is a punctuation mark that can both pack a punch and take the edge off. So it’s time to put a (full) stop to it being used wrongly. Playing music without headphones on public transport. People not putting their weights away in the gym. There are a few things in life that raise my blood pressure. It’s the equivalent of a dramatic pause-so why all the drama?
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