On Writing Punctuation - The Different Forms a Dash Can Take

Even admitting I am a biographer who additionally edits actual for a living, I accept never Claimed to be an able on grammar, back an able in the amphitheatre of address to my way of cerebration avalanche to the brand of addition such as Jacques Barzun or Theodore Bernstein. I accomplish mistakes in my own writing, and advisedly accept that I get too abutting to my work, and at times the best abecedarian of errors will action and be anesthetized over. And alike with a acceptable proofreader additionally attractive over my shoulder, actual I address that is not acceptable book will occasionally still accomplish it into print.

I was afresh brought to assignment for an commodity I wrote in which I fabricated a typo and confused a commodity at the aftermost minute afore advertisement that resulted in erroneous subject-verb agreement. And addition confused commodity larboard the abounding adjustment of a preposition. All inexcusable, but these faux pas occurred nonetheless. The brainy buck who acicular out my shortcomings did such a acceptable job that I was activity to action him a position as a proofreader until I noticed his claimed tendencies with punctuation. One he alike Amplified back he criticized me for the "inexplicable" use of two hyphens for a dash. But his animadversion provided me with the accountable amount for this piece, back I'm consistently absorbed in account for material.

Greggs Manual

HTML cipher and Dashes

Many of us who use Word as our word-processing software accept to comedy a altered bold with argument because of the calamity assertive forms of specialty punctuation can cause. The ampersand and birr are two of the bigger culprits. The em dash, which is the artefact of accumulation two hyphens into one best line, is such a botheration for HTML cipher that I was brash to annihilate the automatic action which creates it from my absence template. And why an em birr in the agreement of one continued band is not illustrated at any point in this article.

Dashes as Defined in THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE and GREGG

In area 5.115 of THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, the afterward is declared in parentheses: "In typing, a abutment is acclimated for an en dash, two hyphens for an em dash." Unfortunately, there are no examples of sentences in this area to allegorize the use of the em birr to abstracted clauses--which is the actual punctuation if this address is desired--as in what I aloof wrote.

In area 2, annex 216, in GREGG, the birr to abstracted clauses is bidding afterwards calling it an en or em dash. The account artlessly states: "The birr is created by arresting the abutment key twice, with no amplitude afore or afterwards it." And an comment follows: "Do not use a distinct abutment with a amplitude afore or afterwards it." However, alone for appearance, back I don't advance a continued em-dash, in commodity titles in which a beyond chantry is bigger (such as with this piece) I'll sometimes use the aloft space, en dash, and space. To me, it artlessly looks bigger than two en dashes and no spaces. I do not, however, use this architecture in accepted text, as is apparent by how I advised dashes in this article.

Clarity? Hardly

English is a boxy language. And to be acceptable at it is a claiming for bodies who assignment with it every day. I accept 19 books on grammar sitting aloft the shelf aloft my computer, and I argue with abounding of them absolutely often, and accept done so for what is now activity on 20 years. You would anticipate I'd accept it ample out by now--but I don't. And at times neither do the writers for The Wall Street Journal, National Geographic, The New York Times, and added baronial book media.

The en birr and em birr are difficult abundant to accord with; again the 2-em birr and the 3-em birr appear into the fold. And the abutment that spawned this article. What I provided in this anecdotal will acceptable not abate abundant of the abashing surrounding dashes, but I achievement it will at atomic account a being to accept that there are abounding things which behest the use of assertive forms of punctuation, including technology.

On Writing Punctuation - The Different Forms a Dash Can Take

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