Dashes and ellipsis

Three Types of dashes

  • hyphen
  • en-dash
  • em-dash

Hyphen

  • Connects compounded words: front-end, mass-produced, or group numbers.
  • There is no spacing on either side.
  • Can be created by hitting the minus sign

En-dash

  • called this because it is the length of a capital “N.”
  • Is used in ranges: 6–10 years, 1997–2017
  • There is no spacing on either side.
  • Can be created by:
    • On a Mac: option and hyphen (“-“ )
    • On a PC: Ctrl + minus (Please note: Num Lock must be enabled and you must use the minus key on the numeric keypad.)

Em-dash

  • called this because it is the length of a capital “M.”
  • Used for interrupted dialogue or as a parenthesis in the middle of a sentence—a thought interrupting another thought.
  • There is no spacing on either side.
  • Can be created by:
    • In scriptwriting, you create it by hitting a double hyphen. You don't use the long m dash "—".
  • If you decide to use it in an essay (not in a screenplay):
    • On a Mac: option + shift and hyphen (“-“).
    • On a PC: Ctrl + Alt + minus (Please note: Num Lock must be enabled and you must use the minus key on the numeric keypad.)

Ellipsis (…)

  • Used for the omission of words.
  • Can be used for the trailing off of thought or showing a hesitation.
  • Don’t over-use.