Using dashes correctly and consistently can add to the professionalism
of your business writing. Here is a quick lesson on how to use dashes
correctly, and how to create dashes using your keyboard and in Word.
I need to say upfront that hyphens (-) are not dashes!
There are two
types of dashes: en dashes (–) and em dashes (—).
En dashes are used as a linking device for things like time
and distance, for example: pages 125–200. They can also be used as an association between
separate words, for example: Asia–Pacific region.
Em dashes are used to indicate an abrupt change, to provide
additional or explanatory information, or to isolate statements within a
sentence. Em dashes have more emphasis than a comma, are less formal than a
colon, and can be used similarly to parenthesis. For example:
Your business headshot should
reflect your professionalism—no snapshots or family photos.
Choosing the right colour profile—CMYK,
RGB or PMS—is the essential first step in creating a beautiful image.
It is now commonly accepted to use an en dash with spaces
either side, instead of an em dash, like so – just make sure you use en or em dashes
consistently, according to your business writing style.
How to create dashes using your keyboard
On a PC
To create dashes on a PC the numbers below must be typed on the
numeric keypad (not the numbers above the letters).
En dash: press ‘ALT’ + ‘0150’
Em dash: press ‘ALT’ + ‘0151’
On a Mac
En dash: press ‘OPTION’ + ‘-’ (hyphen/minus key)
Em dash: press ‘OPTION’ + ‘SHIFT’ + ‘-’ (hyphen/minus key)
Em dash: press ‘OPTION’ + ‘SHIFT’ + ‘-’ (hyphen/minus key)
Word will automatically change two consecutive hyphens
between text into an em dash, and a hyphen with a space before and a space
after, into an en dash.
You can also find en and em dashes in Special characters.
Go to the Insert menu and click Symbol, then More symbols and you will get to the Special characters tab.
Now there is no excuse for being slap-dash
with dashes—and please, no hyphens!
No comments:
Post a Comment