So, what is this em dash all about?

We use the em dash to create a sudden shift in thought, especially when you need the emphasis to be on abruptness. It can also be used to replace semicolons, colons, and commas. An example:

She took the lead—although she was shaking with terror—and led us out to safety.

We also use it to set an introductory clause off or a word followed by a pronoun that introduces the main clause. For example:

Cheating, lying, running around—these were not normal behaviors.

The em dash is used to show abrupt breaks in thought in a dialog. For example:

“He told me you—” Sandra gasped as Simon entered the room.

And it can be used in a dialog to inject details or action:

“This isn’t the first time he’s stood me up”—she sighed and rolled her eyes—“ and it won’t be the last either.”

Missing words may be replaced with a double em dash, usually offensive expletives:

“What the——are you doing?” he roared.

And to replace names, either to hide them or if they are not known:

Mrs.——opened the door.

What About Spaces?

That depends on the style guide you follow – the Chicago Manual of Style says no while the AP Stylebook says yes. Really, its down to personal taste but here’s a comparison for you:

With Spaces – She rushed along the street — she needed to get home.

Without Spaces – She rushed along the street—she needed to get home.

Spaces do create gaps that make it harder to read from one word to the next one and cause a distraction to the reader, purely by placing the attention on the style and not the words. It is down to you though; whatever you are comfortable using.

Creating an Em Dash

Why do so many writers use hyphens or double hyphens instead of an em dash? Because they don’t know how to create one. It isn’t a standard keyboard key but there are a few ways to do it:

Mac

ALT or Option + SHIFT + Hyphen

Windows

ALT + CTRL + - (minus key on the number pad)

ALT + 0151

Autoformat

Type the word and then, without adding a space, add two hyphens and another word. Press the space bar and the hyphens should turn into an em dash.

You can also use the Symbols menu on MS Word.

Em dashes, used correctly, are a great way of giving your sentence structure some variety and it can add real style to your work. Do be careful how you use them though; careless use can detract from your work but use them in the right place, at the right time and hey can add a real punch.

Remember; don’t use hyphens – one or two – in place of the em dash (as I just did to make a point). Keep it professional and use the right punctuation mark at the right time. If you struggle to create your em dash, skip it altogether.