In many cases, an em dash can be subbed in for either of these punctuation marks.įor instance, if you’re separating an independent clause and a list, an em dash is just as valid an option as a colon. We’ve already talked about when to use a semicolon and their plain-old-colon cousins. Learning to use proper punctuation - including periods, commas, question marks and more-will make you into a much stronger writer.Portland is a city where the weather - by which we mean rain, and a lot of it - can be a detractor for those who are susceptible to seasonal affective disorder.However, where parentheses cast the information very much as an aside, em dashes have a tendency to emphasize the information - so be sure you choose wisely.Įm dashes are also particularly useful in setting aside appositives that contain commas, since they offer a less cluttered, more streamlined sentence to the reader. Just as you use parentheses to set aside auxiliary information (like this), you can use em dashes for the same purpose. īut just in case you’re looking for ways to spice up your punctuation, here are a few scenarios in which an em dash is a valid option. Indeed, em dashes are so versatile it’s hard to find examples wherein they’re truly wrong. Who says you have to follow grammar rules?!) (Yes, I could cram an em-dash into just about every sentence I write if my editors would allow it. If you’re like most of the writers we know, chances are you’re already comfortable employing this enigmatic piece of punctuation- if anything, you use it too much.
In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, you’ll have access to the Emojis & Symbols menu under Edit, which you can browse for the em dash.
In Word, you’ll hold down Shift+ Option+minus rather than the Ctrl+Alt+minus mentioned above. 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. Finally, there’s also a keyboard shortcut: Ctrl+Alt+minus, where Num Lock is enabled and you’re utilizing the minus symbol on your numeric keypad. If AutoFormat is not enabled (and you don’t want it to be), you can also find em dashes by navigating to the Insert tab, selecting Symbol, choosing More Symbols, and clicking the em dash on the second row. In order to make AutoFormat change your - to -, you’ll need to type one word before and one word after the double hyphen, without pressing the spacebar until the end.Įxample: hocus–pocus (space) becomes hocus-pocus The first of these is AutoFormat, which is likely already enabled and will automatically create an em dash when you type a double hyphen (–). One of the most popular word processors on the market, MS Word offers users a variety of ways to make an em dash appear. Ta-da! You never have to go menu hunting for em dashes again. If you - like me - use Google Docs almost exclusively and love your em dashes, I’d recommend creating an automatic substitution command.Ĭlick on the “Tools” menu, and then click on “Preferences.” At the bottom, you’ll see a tick box next to the words “Automatic substitution.” Ensure it’s toggled on, and then set a command to replace - with - (grab the symbol from the “Special Characters” menu referenced above, and copy/paste it into the right-hand text box). In order to put an em dash into your work, navigate to the “Insert” menu, and then select “Special Characters.” Instead of scrolling through the various symbols available to you, you can simply search for “em,” and the dash will come right up. However, in this program, dual hyphens stay dual hyphens by default.
Word for mac shortcut em dash free#
No matter where you do your writing, there’s a trick to ensuring you get the perfect em dash every time! In Google DocsĪlthough MS Word has long been considered industry standard, many writers have moved on to Google’s free cloud-based word processing platform, Google Docs.
Word for mac shortcut em dash how to#
Here’s how to type an em dash in your favorite word processor If you want to benefit from the em dash without littering your manuscript with double hyphens (–), here’s what you need to know. But despite its flexibility, there’s one way in which the em dash is anything but intuitive - and that’s typographically. With such a wide range of acceptable applications, an em dash might seem easy to use. It’s used in so many manners: to separate clauses that still want to be close friends to create asides or add emphasis or signal amplification or denote interruption. Ah, the em dash - that multifaceted, all-purpose punctuation mark that can act as a parenthesis, comma, colon, semicolon or even quotation mark.
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