The main use of em dashes is to set off extra information in a sentence. In addition, write the punctuation mark next to your translation. 1. For degrees, use a space between the en dash and the degree and the emphasis. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. The translation being made in our system is from a small subset of characaters to an upside-down question mark. the question mark. Both Word and Scrivener automatically convert two consecutive hyphens (--) to an em-dash (—), the technical name for this punctuation mark. The president’s speech both began and ended with the word “freedom. The colon in Spanish is used for enumeration, explanation, or quotes, just like in English. ManhattanMss New Member. An em dash is a punctuation mark used to separate elements within a sentence, typically words or phrases that are too long to be separated by commas or need a dramatic pause during reading. The em dash is a versatile mark used to define, explain, and insert material. S. ; fibre everywhere else. To punctuate dialogue correctly, there are a few rules you should know: The correct use of quotation marks. The dash works somewhat like parentheses or commas, but it is used where a stronger punctuation is needed. ” No spaces on either side of the em dash. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the em-dash was versatile—it can even take the place of the semicolon. Using Em Dashes (–) and Em Dashes (—) There are two different kinds of dashes: (1) en dashes and (2) em dashes. Follow the end quotation mark with an em dash and the action or thought and then another em dash. British authors often prefer to use an en-dash ( – ) with spaces on either side rather than the em. . In something called an appositive—a phrase that provides more information—you can use an em dash instead. These dashes differ not only in their length but also in the function they perform in a sentence. –8:30 p. We use ellipses to indicate omissions of words, phrases, or even whole sentences. However, some style guides, such as the Associated Press. Em dash—press option+shift+hyphen key. For instance, you would render a character named Mr. 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. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. 88 Em dashes with “that is,” “namely,” “for example,” and similar expressions; 6. Check out all the nuances of this tricky punctuation mark. Underscore: _. En dashes (–) represent a range between numbers, dates, and times. Type a single dash or hyphen. 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. The dash is a great way to indicate an abrupt change of thought or a parenthetical statement, and sometimes this may be useful after a question is complete. Use a dash in dialogue to show an interruption or a sudden break in thought. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to. parentheses. Em dashes, in contrast, are frequently used to signal an abrupt change, suggest a pause, or set off a clause within a sentence. Type the keyboard shortcut or caret code into the Find what text box (see figure 4). Upon firing the company’s non-salaried employees—and. It can either become: Woman: without her, man is nothing. (stenoscript) The dash may be written low, along the baseline, or high, at x-height, as convenient for whichever letters it links to. As shown above, em dashes are often left unspaced when used in this way. An en dash is always used without any space before or after it. Em dashes are the longest of the common dashes (I won’t be covering 2-em and 3-em dashes in this article) and are so named because they are the width of the letter “m. When you type the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, no spaces should appear on either side of the punctuation mark. A dash is used to separate part of a sentence and indicate a break. , May–December or 1995–2020) or pages (e. How to implement sentence case. 👉 Em dash Mac: hold down the option + shift + the hyphen keys and viola! 👉 Em dash Word: tap the minus sign twice and continue writing. (2) Em dashes can replace semicolons. En Dash Examples. However, in this case also why is there an em-dash anyways? If the exclamation or question is full and complete then why is there an "abrupt break in speech. The shift from em dash to en dash reflects contemporary writing practice and the new focus on digital content. A space is used before and after the en-dash when used in literary copy. When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. Dashes create urgency. Ron Barrett. The longer EM dash is used as a break or to separate additional information in a sentence. And an example:There are two primary types of dashes: the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. Press the spacebar. For a fuller understanding of the em dash, I quote the CMOS Online in full:7. Do not use the first one to mean a dash; it never does. Several options will pop up, including the em dash. And when em dashes are setting off material that requires a punctuation mark like a question mark or exclamation. 1. An em dash can be used for the same purpose. ) If I run the sql statements of the stored procedure until the final select statement only, the data look fine, dash character is still a dash character. Learn how to use each type in a sentence with these examples and best practices. The correct punctuation would be: Jenny said, “That’s unbelievable!”. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. First, there are two kinds of dashes, called en dashes and em dashes. These, along with the other 12, are all listed neatly and explained for you here. The correct use of dialogue tags. If your keyboard can't produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in. To turn smart punctuation off, all you have to do is go to Settings > General > Keyboard, and then turn off the "Smart Punctuation" toggle. You can use a semi-colon to separate list items when an "item" is a list in itself. However, it depends on the usage and meaning. An em dash is the width of the letter "m" in the font and type size being used, and should never be used in place of an en dash or hyphen. Below are lines of five each of em dashes, en dashes, minuses, and hyphens, all separated by a normal space. Em dashes are used to set off elements of text with internal punctuation, and en dashes to indicate a numerical range or hyphenate an open compound: The library is organized so that any question—whether technical, reference, or circulation—can be answered by staff. Hyphens are used to create compound words like: Load-bearing; Well-loved; Great-looking; Less-commonly used punctuation marks Interrobang. This. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. The example I saw comes from a tweet, reproduced here for convenience: "For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior—not a divine social justice warrior, not a liberation. That may occasionally appear in old writing, where em dashes after commas and semicolons are more common. Nevertheless, you will have to use. Em dash character is not a part of ASCII character set. This usage explains the dialog part of your question. 1月—7月 "January to July", which can also be written 1月到7月, with the character 到 in place of the dash). On Macs, the long dash symbol situation is much easier. The question mark needs to go after Language. This technique is best suited for creative or informal writing. The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence. The following example from Toni Morrison’s Beloved shows both uses: “Nothing bad can happen to her. Any grammer Nazi's out there that have the answer, please do so ASAP. The en dash is less well known than. No comma is implied. En-dash: An en-dash is wider than a hyphen but narrower than an em-dash. You don’t need to worry about this; both en dashes and em dashes do the same job. (stenoscript) When used as punctuation, an en or em dash is doubled, like a long ⹀, to distinguish it from its phonetic use. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 1 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. However, The Oxford Style Manual notes that “many British publishers use an en rule with. When interrupters fall midsentence, always use a pair of punctuation marks to surround them. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. The em dash triggers readers’ brains to insert a slightly longer pause, which can aid in reading comprehension. The patient reported taking 15 (?) milligrams of alprazolam. For further reasons, why you should use T1 encoding, have a look at this question: Why should I use usepackage[T1]{fontenc}? You should use a. Dashes. • Dashes are often used to introduce an abrupt change of thought, while parentheses add information. 4. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. A Hebrew period in a traditional serif face usually looks like a tiny tilted square (a diamond; ). That said, let’s look at the two dashes and what makes them different. Ellipses for omitted material spanning two or more sentences. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. How to easily type various punctuation signs (§ ¶ ‽) using. Question marks, exclamation points, and em dashes can go inside or outside the quotation mark, depending on whether they’re part of the quote or not. [Emphasis mine. Em Dash (—) An em dash is one of the three kinds of dashes that functions like a comma, a colon, or parentheses in introducing a clause. The Mac command to make an em dash. Collingwood as Mr. AP and AMA style guides are agreed: em dash goes inside the quotes, and that's your punctuation. Deploy single quote marks used for quotes within dialogue. Your specific issue regards "smart quotes," "em dashes" and "en dashes. Adashisthe punctuation name for a mark that used to separate words into statements. apostrophe. 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. Use an en dash for ranges and an em dash to separate non-essential information. The correct use of question and exclamation marks. 157). I solved by this link. 86 Em dash between noun and pronoun; 6. Within moments of our first interaction — over. “What are you talking about—wait, Johnny said it was Maria!”. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. APPLICATION. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. This eliminates option B. If you want to use hyphens before and after your text, click AutoCorrect Options. How to Create Em Dashes and En Dashes: Em dash (—) Ctrl+Alt+minus (far. The em-dash emphasizes the conclusion of the sentence, but with less formality than a colon. An ellipsis suggests a slight pause, as if one thing happens and then the other. 1. Em dash. It's a completely different use case. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. Comments. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. Style guides often let you skip them. At the two corresponding places you will find the upside down exclamation resp. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. Etc. It also works for supplemental essays (SUPER useful for ones that make you write under 125 words *ahem Yale). Punctuation is the tool that allows us to organize our thoughts and make it easier to review and share our ideas. These sentences can be in the form of a direct question or an indirect question. For example, one em in an 18-point typeface equals. The en dash also signifies an abrupt change. Commas allow for a smoother read than dashes, which interrupt the sentence to draw the reader’s attention. The en dash is spaced so screen readers don’t mistake an unspaced en for a hyphen. Between independent clauses linked by a transitional expression. An ellipsis is a punctuation mark consisting of three periods in a row. A period may precede an em dash if it is part of an abbreviation (see also 14. Use em dashes to do the following: Set off explanatory. Period, question mark, exclamation mark, comma. Dashes should not be overused. I am thinking the product_code value may actually contain an -en-dash- or an -em-dash- or something other than 0x2D that is getting displayed correctly (somehow) with the combination of CubeCart, PHP, the web server and the web browser. If it helps, picture the em dash superimposed on the letter “M” and the en dash superimposed on the “N. Typically I replace these special characters in a microsoft product first with replace. immediately recalled the books. Picture the em dash the same width as the letter “M” and the en dash the same width as the letter “N. The em dash helps separate the parts of a sentence. , 1 May–13 June) To divide a compound adjective with two equal parts (e. The Chicago Manual of Style says that “periods and commas precede closing quotation marks. A direct question is an interrogative sentence that asks an. Notwithstanding its versatility, the em dash is best limited to two appearances per sentence. (Learn more about the difference between a. Fiber is the preferred spelling in American English, and fibre is preferred in all the other main varieties of English. Em dash shortcut 3 (Mac): If you are on mac, below is a shortcut to help you type the em dash sign in Word. (The exclamation point, like the question mark [see 8. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. “November Cotton Flower” by Jean. 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. To Indicate Interruption in Dialogue, Use An Em-Dash. Once again, the em-dash adds more emphasis than the traditional punctuation mark. Type a word. The em is the longest in the dash suite. There are many uses for elipses and dashes. The Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines a dash as “the mark (—) used to separate parts of a sentence. En & Em Dashes While sometimes used in other styles to indicate a range of time, AP Style does not use en dashes. In the case of an actual question being asked I feel the mark would go before the em-dash. Command (⌘) + M. It then gives two examples, the second of them demonstrating that "the period . Some word-processing programs have a mark called an em-dash (longer than a hyphen), which can be used with no space before or after it. —dijo María con calma. AP refers to these simply as dashes and requires a space on either side. 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. 27, 2015. An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. Should a question mark be used after an em dash that abruptly ends a sentence? Ask Question Asked 1 year, 2 months ago Modified 2 months ago Viewed 164 times 4 I looked through a number of the site's questions to find an answer to my problem. It probably wouldn’t get away with trying to impersonate a question mark or an exclamation point, but it can stand in for just about any of the other standard sentence marks. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons —in each case to slightly different effect. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. I went out with a guy based on his use of dashes once. Thanks very much for your reply, Jennifer. It is longer than both the en dash and the hyphen, and its length is equal to the width of the letter “M” in the given font. First type a period (or question mark or exclamation mark) immediately after the word before the ellipsis; then type three spaced ellipsis points. 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 to replace pairs of commas and parentheses. A hyphen (-) is the shortest “dash” 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. Comma. As its name suggests, an em dash (—) is roughly the length of the letter M, while an en dash (–) more closely matches an N. An em dash or a pair of em dashes may indicate a sudden break in thought or sentence structure or an interruption in dialogue. Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. Use to indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times or reference numbers, use an en-dash (a slightly. The second option likens the word to verbs like fit and knit, which are usually uninflected. 6. The general rule is that a sentence ends with only one terminal punctuation mark. That might be something worth fixing in case you have people with accents in their names, that are. Always put commas and periods inside the quote. It probably wouldn’t get away with trying to impersonate a question mark or an exclamation point, but it can stand in for. They also can be used to focus a reader or highlight tone within a dialog. The – is called an en dash. Incorrect. Have you a reason why you think curved brackets should be abandoned in favour of dashes in this particular example? The linked article doesn't contrast differences in availability or effect between the punctuation variants available. There are three options: Period. Examples. ”. But to show a true interruption, the kind that occurs when a speaker is cut off in the middle of sentence or a word, we’ll need something stronger than a comma—namely, an em dash (see also CMOS 6. The word ellipsis comes from an ancient Greek word that means “to leave out. Look at my use of em dashes in this post, aside from the previous sentence. When typing, a hyphen looks like this: (-). 1969–1981. It is slightly shorter in length, visually resembling a hyphen, but with different usage. The en dash is shorter than an em dash but longer than a hyphen. To create the em dash on a Macintosh-based system, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press. SQL Developer is Java based which does not use NLS_LANG settings but SQL*Plus does, so you have to set NLS_LANG properly. For Example: Weeding, planting, and watering — that’s all we did this weekend to clean up the garden. It's difficult for me to judge the tone of the sentence examples you used, so I can't give a specific suggestion. F. Here are the code points for the Unicode dashes that are of the Common script, along with their general categories. There is no difference in meaning between fiber and fibre. JAWS is the most likely of the screen readers to read these kinds of punctuation marks. That being said, em dashes should not be used in place of hyphens or colons. 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”). On our way to school, we walk past the Turner Farm—the oldest dairy farm in town—and watch the cows being fed. Mac. A colon is a more formal but weaker punctuation mark than an em dash. A dash is a break in thought, from one focus to another. 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”. Write an en dash. m. Comillas españolas (Angle Quotes) and Comillas inglesas (Quotation Marks) Where to Practice Using Spanish Punctuation; Find and Correct the Mistakes in the Following. ” Stutters, Stammers, and Pauses. I am thinking the product_code value may actually contain an -en-dash- or an -em-dash- or something other than 0x2D that is getting displayed correctly (somehow) with the combination of CubeCart, PHP, the web server and the web browser. It is a versatile punctuation mark that can take the place of commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons in sentences. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. 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. Look at how the entire sentence uses different punctuation marks. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is. The Spanish names for the hyphen, en-dash and em-dash are guión, semiraya o raya menor, and raya, respectively. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. They are named en dashes but they are as wide as the letter N. 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. It is wider than an en dash (–) or a hyphen (-). Resume the dialogue with another opening quotation mark, complete the dialogue, and end with a period and a closing quotation mark. " Wikipedia has a descent overview on dashes, especially noting the differnet ways to reflect either and em-dash or an en-dash. For your example: “Well, I thought you—” He stopped himself. Very heavy reverse solidus. 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. En-dash The medium-length dash (–) is called an en-dash (so called because it is approximately the width of a capital letter N in the typeface being used). On cell phones running Android’s Gboard or iOS operating systems, press and hold the hyphen on the onscreen keyboard. An em dash represents a longer pause—a bigger break—than a comma. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. Being so versatile can create confusion if overused, therefore it is best limited to two appearances per sentence. The 3 types of dashes—hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes—often get mixed up. For example: The company’s profits have been steadily declining over the past year — a trend that is cause for concern. We met during the 2011 – 2012 school year. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. Included marks are the period, comma, semi-colon, colon, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, parenthesis, and dash. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. 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. So, if a symbol is to be used, Chicago (at least implicitly) says it should be an em dash without a space. Acting as a comma. Don’t confuse it with a hyphen (-). ”. Thus, an em dash in 9-point type is as long as the height of a. 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. ” Em dashes are the most versatile, nuanced, and. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. And like a colon, it can introduce a word or a clause that describes or expands upon what precedes it. Once again, the em-dash adds more emphasis than the traditional punctuation mark. punctuation. g. 92 Em dashes in lists, indexes, and tables;. Example: apple orchard–scented candle. — Este libro es mío. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. 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. “What space?”. I use the alt code - alt+0148. Mistakes with hyphens are very common: leaving them out when they’re needed, adding them when they’re unnecessary, or putting them. (Check out more punctuation. NVDA is the least likely. Use em-dash for denoting a break or a clarification within a sentence: “Three authors—John Grisham, Danielle Steele, John Updike—have between them written eighty-nine books. (Other things can do that too, but we’ll get to those in a bit. In this example, the speech ends with a question mark, prioritising a comma that would normally be placed to frame the speaking phrase. You can use such punctuation as periods, commas, semi-colons, colons, parentheses, brackets, quotation marks, dashes, exclamation points, question marks and some others. To type an en dash, press Option + hyphen (-) To type an em dash on keyboard, press Shift + Option + hyphen (-) The only problem is that to use. In Arabic, which is also written from right. The exclamation point is a mark of terminal punctuation. Enter the replacement character in the Replace with text box (see figure 5). , I need 1 thing – money. ”. g. If you format it properly—like this—it counts the words on both sides of the dash as just one word. Press the space bar. 1986–1998Tip. This suggests that a question mark is "stronger" than a period and is the mark that is retained. The text won't look as good, but realistically, most people won't notice. An ellipsis here would show a delayed change in thought and is not correct. Should a question mark be used after an em dash that abruptly ends a sentence? Ask Question Asked 1 year, 4 months ago Modified 4 months ago Viewed 168 times 4 I. Consider the examples below: 3. EM dashes are wonderful if used correctly in poetry, but not in stories (especially being useless around question marks). 2)”Are you OK?” is a direct question. It is longer than a hyphen (-) or an en dash (–). Here’s how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. — Question Mark. If your style guide calls for spaces around a dash, you use a different character altogether, the "en-dash. In this century, the shorter one is preferred in all main varieties of English. These are the em dash (—) and the en dash (–). En and em dashes are longer than the hyphen. Make sure you switch on the Num Lock from the keyboard and you type the number from the Numpad and not from the top row of the keyboard. The quotation marks indicating Isaac's thoughts emphasize his uncertainty about the future. 8. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. An em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that looks like an extended dash. That is much better than the translation witnessed in other systems, where a bullet in a bulleted list was changed to &bull. The raya (em-dash) usually indicates separation; for example, it signals interventions of. As noted, MS Word and other word processors substitute an em dash for two hyphens, whereas TeX uses three hyphens. However, since interjections are not “proper” sentences, some writers prefer to attach them to a complete sentence using a comma or, if more emphasis is desired, an em dash. Note, however, that if the quoted material itself ends with a question mark or exclamation point, the. The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He left—would you believe it?—immediately after the ball. En dashes are shorter than em dashes, and they indicate a range or connection between numbers or words. 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. Don’t use end quotes between paragraphs of speech. And you wouldn't have to do any kind of terminal punctuation, no need for a period or a question mark or an exclamation point. Mark said: “I am confused if I should finish them with one of the final stop punctuation marks (when, as I read, 1- every sentence must be finished by an appropriate punctuation mark [the final stop], and 2- neither the dash nor the ellipsis are the final stop punctuation marks). Uses of the Question Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Question Mark; Problems with Question Marks; Quiz: Problems with Question Marks; Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Problems with Exclamation Marks; Quiz: Problems with Exclamation Marks; What Are Commas, Semicolons, and Colons; Uses of the Comma; Quiz: Uses of. ”. One to look out for: the colon. It can also be used to indicate each person’s speech in a dialogue. apostrophe. If you want more design. Enclose the first part of the dialogue in quotation marks but omit the comma. You’ve probably heard of hyphens and em dashes, but what about en dashes? Learn what they are and how to use them with this helpful article. 3) The Repeating 'Em' Dash. To type an em dash in Microsoft Word, press the Option + Shift + hyphen keys (on Mac OS). Note: When the second clause expands on or explains the first, the colon is the better mark. Write an em dash. —respondió Carlos. ” En-dashes are mandatory only for public documents. Some consider its use informal. 5. “This is my book,” said María calmly. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. Em dash—hold down the Alt key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad. 1月—7月 "January to July", which can also be written 1月到7月, with the character 到 in place of the dash). The patient reported taking 15 (?) milligrams of alprazolam. The sixth edition recommended an unspaced em dash for these purposes. 2. Smart punctuation is an iOS feature that automatically. It can function like a comma, parenthesis, or colon. An en dash is. 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. Aether (or æther) is an obsolete spelling of the noun with various definitions relating to air, chemical compounds, and nonexistent clear elements filling outer space. Use a. These punctuation marks may fall outside of the closing quotation mark in some cases. You create an em-dash by typing two hyphens, and most word processing programs will tie them automatically into the longer dash. It also has several uses, which we will look at below. If a comma is a quarter note rest, then an em dash is a half-note rest. g. Or simply type two hyphens one after the other, type the word that is supposed to appear after the em dash, and press Space—the hyphens magically turn into an em dash.