Overview
An em dash marks a change in thought, an interruption, an aside, or an appositive.
The Basics
[1] An em dash precedes a quote attribution.
"Never mistake motion for action."--Ernest Hemingway
[2] An interrupted thought or unfinished sentence
Abigail said, "No, please stop, don't--"
A single shot ended her plea.
"But I really need--"
"Money?"
"--your support."
Beyond the Basics
[3] An em dash can set off parenthetical material (with emphasis and especially if the parenthetical material is tangential to the main thought).
Dogs--particulary pure breeds--are prone to hip problems.
From the house, the child ran--tiny arms pumping furiously, pudgy legs waddling at hyper speed--straight into his arms.
[4] A break in thought continuity
John and I danced the night away--where were you anyway?
Two oaks--Cassidy had never seen such amazing trees--provided shade to the backyard.
Levi wondered how anyone could live like that--and why.
[5] An abrupt, startling, or emphasized appositive
John--blood dripping from his nose--stepped into the room.
[6] To throw emphasis on the last item in a list (often a jump in continuity from the previous elements)
Laura Lynn hasn't seen Jake since the day he left her standing in the high school parking lot with a backpack full of clothes, and her
savings, and broken dreams--and a peanut shaped baby growing in her belly.
[7] An aside
I scrubbed the dog--and what a chore it was!--only to have the cat arrive covered in mud.
When I picked up Karen--oh my gosh--I was stunned by her beauty. (The italics indicates that the aside, in this case, is a direct thought)
[8] A final summary
A somewhat random collage of framed photos of varying sizes covered the walls--Marlene's photos.
[9] An divided quote (interrupted by something narrative rather than attributive)
"My dear sweet friend"--sarcasm oozed between his words--"I'm so sorry."
"I'll take that one"--she pointed--"and that one, and that one too." (She is pointing while speaking, but the words were spoken continuously)
[9A] If the actual quote is interrupted, the em dash goes inside the quotes
"Because--" Linda rubbed her chin "--I just don't know what to do." (The spoken words are pause during the action.)
Syntax
No spaces before or after an em dash.
A question mark or exclamation point can appear before an em dash where appropriate (but not a period).
I fell--oh no!--all the way to the ground.
I chased his car--was it his?--all the way to town.
Italics can be used to indicate that an aside is a direct thought.
"Are you sure"--you lying jerk--"that you didn't take my car?"
Usage Key
Remember, an em dash heralds a sharp turn, a twist, or an interruption.
Misuse
An em dash isn't a flashy substitute for a colon. Where a colon generally heralds an elaboration, an em dash signals a sudden turn or twist.
Em dashes should be reserved for flashy emphasis or punchy summary, not elucidation or elaboration.
Let's Talk Style
Whereas parenthesis enclose a whisper, em dashes bookend a shout.
Cars built in Europe (particularly in Germany) are stylish and sporty.
Cars built in Europe--particularly in Germany--are stylish and sporty.
(Both are perfectly acceptable. The top example emphasis European cars in general. The bottom example emphasis German cars.)
An em dash can add a sense of spontaneity.
We could go on a date--if you don't have any other plans.
An em dash can indicate an afterthought.
I already gave you the rent--no, maybe it's in my car.
An em dash can indicate simultaneous action.
Let's see how the pros use it
The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or
never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not
service--she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well.--Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
When he breakfasted or dined all the resources of the club--its kitchens and pantries, its buttery and dairy--aided to crowd his table with their most
succulent stores; he was served by the gravest waiters, in dress coats, and shoes with swan-skin soles, who proffered
the viands in special porcelain, and on the finest linen; club decanters, of a lost mould, contained his sherry,
his port, and his cinnamon-spiced claret; while his beverages were refreshingly cooled with ice, brought at great cost
from the American lakes.--Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen,
who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he
had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson
Kreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called--nay we call ourselves and write our name--Crusoe;
and so my companions always called me.--Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
An em dash marks a change in thought, an interruption, an aside, or an appositive.
The Basics
[1] An em dash precedes a quote attribution.
"Never mistake motion for action."--Ernest Hemingway
[2] An interrupted thought or unfinished sentence
Abigail said, "No, please stop, don't--"
A single shot ended her plea.
"But I really need--"
"Money?"
"--your support."
Beyond the Basics
[3] An em dash can set off parenthetical material (with emphasis and especially if the parenthetical material is tangential to the main thought).
Dogs--particulary pure breeds--are prone to hip problems.
From the house, the child ran--tiny arms pumping furiously, pudgy legs waddling at hyper speed--straight into his arms.
[4] A break in thought continuity
John and I danced the night away--where were you anyway?
Two oaks--Cassidy had never seen such amazing trees--provided shade to the backyard.
Levi wondered how anyone could live like that--and why.
[5] An abrupt, startling, or emphasized appositive
John--blood dripping from his nose--stepped into the room.
[6] To throw emphasis on the last item in a list (often a jump in continuity from the previous elements)
Laura Lynn hasn't seen Jake since the day he left her standing in the high school parking lot with a backpack full of clothes, and her
savings, and broken dreams--and a peanut shaped baby growing in her belly.
[7] An aside
I scrubbed the dog--and what a chore it was!--only to have the cat arrive covered in mud.
When I picked up Karen--oh my gosh--I was stunned by her beauty. (The italics indicates that the aside, in this case, is a direct thought)
[8] A final summary
A somewhat random collage of framed photos of varying sizes covered the walls--Marlene's photos.
[9] An divided quote (interrupted by something narrative rather than attributive)
"My dear sweet friend"--sarcasm oozed between his words--"I'm so sorry."
"I'll take that one"--she pointed--"and that one, and that one too." (She is pointing while speaking, but the words were spoken continuously)
[9A] If the actual quote is interrupted, the em dash goes inside the quotes
"Because--" Linda rubbed her chin "--I just don't know what to do." (The spoken words are pause during the action.)
Syntax
No spaces before or after an em dash.
A question mark or exclamation point can appear before an em dash where appropriate (but not a period).
I fell--oh no!--all the way to the ground.
I chased his car--was it his?--all the way to town.
Italics can be used to indicate that an aside is a direct thought.
"Are you sure"--you lying jerk--"that you didn't take my car?"
Usage Key
Remember, an em dash heralds a sharp turn, a twist, or an interruption.
Misuse
An em dash isn't a flashy substitute for a colon. Where a colon generally heralds an elaboration, an em dash signals a sudden turn or twist.
Em dashes should be reserved for flashy emphasis or punchy summary, not elucidation or elaboration.
Let's Talk Style
Whereas parenthesis enclose a whisper, em dashes bookend a shout.
Cars built in Europe (particularly in Germany) are stylish and sporty.
Cars built in Europe--particularly in Germany--are stylish and sporty.
(Both are perfectly acceptable. The top example emphasis European cars in general. The bottom example emphasis German cars.)
An em dash can add a sense of spontaneity.
We could go on a date--if you don't have any other plans.
An em dash can indicate an afterthought.
I already gave you the rent--no, maybe it's in my car.
An em dash can indicate simultaneous action.
Let's see how the pros use it
The old lady pulled her spectacles down and looked over them about the room; then she put them up and looked out under them. She seldom or
never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy; they were her state pair, the pride of her heart, and were built for "style," not
service--she could have seen through a pair of stove-lids just as well.--Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
When he breakfasted or dined all the resources of the club--its kitchens and pantries, its buttery and dairy--aided to crowd his table with their most
succulent stores; he was served by the gravest waiters, in dress coats, and shoes with swan-skin soles, who proffered
the viands in special porcelain, and on the finest linen; club decanters, of a lost mould, contained his sherry,
his port, and his cinnamon-spiced claret; while his beverages were refreshingly cooled with ice, brought at great cost
from the American lakes.--Jules Verne, Around the World in Eighty Days
I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen,
who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he
had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson
Kreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called--nay we call ourselves and write our name--Crusoe;
and so my companions always called me.--Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
| Em dash (--) Because HTML does not accommodate a proper em dash, I'll use the "--" (the traditional typewriter format of two hyphens). An actual em dash is a dash that occupies the same width as an "M." |
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