This quick tip will outline the differences between the three dashes as well as advice on when and how to use them correctly within your designs. You can have word hyphenate your text automatically as you type your text, or later, in one pass. The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar in appearance to the hyphen and minus sign but. Historically, the names of en dash and em dash came from the width of a.
There are many ways to create em dashes and en dashes on your laptop. It can substitute for an unknown element, like a missing word or letter. Mar 06, 2017 note to verify that you have installed this update, you can open any microsoft office 2011 application to check the version number. Four ways to insert an em dash in a word document techrepublic. Automatic hyphenation is quicker and easier, although manual hyphenation provides more control. How to put a long dash in word for mac how to insert a long. Mostly hypens are for making a word like xray or for writing out numbers twentyone. Toolsautocorrect optionsautoformat as you type and check the box beside hypens with dash. To insert an em dash instead of doublehyphens, press. In the absence of any examples to the contrary i conclude that the problem is with microsoft word s grammar checker, which only introduced the rule that triggers this in the 2016 edition it was not there in word 2008 or 2011, mac. How to make an em dash on a mac in microsoft word quora. If youre using a mac, hold down the option key and press dash to make an en dash.
Dictating punctuation and symbols nuance communications. How to insert an en dash or em dash in microsoft word. Keyboard shortcut to type an em dash, hold down the shift and option keys and press the minus key. But on a mac, the mac bu just likes to be annoying apparently. Many word processors will automatically insert an em dash when you type a pair of hyphens.
If your only option is to use the character map the least efficient option, consider inserting two hyphens for em dashes in your document for now. Page 1 of 1 and when you highlight those numbers they are surrounded by a grey box indicating that they are fields. This keyboard shortcut brings up a multiitem clipboard. Putting spaces before and after an em dash is a matter of preference. One em is the same length as the fonts height which is typically measured in points. How to put a long dash in word for mac how to insert a. In ms word for mac, you can convert hyphens to dashes automatically as you type.
An en dash is a dash thats as wide as a capital en. Em dashes are sometimes used in lists or definitions, but that is a style issue. To type an en dash, hold down the option key and press the minus key. Word allows you to insert an em dash a long dash by simply typing two dashes in a row. Math symbols, accented characters, currency symbols. In this tutorial you will learn how you can take advantage of autocorrect, and also how you can override its options as required. Pressing the hyphen key twice and then hitting the space bar works just as well, but since most uses of the em dash eliminate spaces on either side. Mar 10, 2018 the use of dashes is inconsistent in lots of writing regardless of how professional the writers are. Yes, i did use the special charater button to add the greek letter omega. If your word document has an em dash or en dash and you want to remove it, do one of the following. May 01, 2012 insert three em dashes in the place of a repeating authors name in a bibliography. I type up a lot of papers, and on my mac, i was able to make em dashes real easily, but on my sp2, it seems i can only do en dashes the tiny dash, whatever its called, which may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me, as i really need them.
If youre like most of the writers we know, chances are youre already comfortable employing this enigmatic piece of punctuation if anything, you use it too. Punctuation tips for instructional designers resilient. Ive tested in word 2016 as well which demonstrates the same behavior. Type a space, type dash dash dash and touch the spacebar. To insert an endash in your document, hold down the alt key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. I assume that you have this page number as codes in the header or footer pages and when you click in the header or footer it says. Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut shiftcommand. Word will automatically convert the hyphen into an en dash. How to put a long dash in word how to insert a long dash. Did you know that that there are three different types of dashes. Making an em dash word for mac in word 2011 for mac, i used to be able to make an em dash by doing shiftalthyphen. In word 2010 and up, youll need to go to insert, symbol. A beginners guide to em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens.
Hold down the option alt key and type a hyphen for an en dash. Place the text cursor after the em dash or en dash, then press the backspace key. The en dash is used in ranges, such as 610 years, read as six to ten years. When you need an em dash, you can let word enter it for you the easy way. Open the microsoft office 2011 folder, and then start any office application. To dictate punctuation or symbols, say the name of the punctuation or symbol at the appropriate places in your dictation. An em dash is the longest dash, often called simply the dash, but also called the em rule or the long dash.
How and when to type en and em dashes on a mac macmost. Use the insert table command to create a table if your table has a column headers, right click on the first row in the table and select table properties row repeat as header row at the top of each page. Do you know the difference between an em dash, an en dash, and a hyphen. Documentationhow tosinserting en and em dashes apache. The hyphen, em dash and en dash crop up all the time while youre using microsoft word, but most of us dont know why and we use the different dashes inconsistently. Also, do note that any autocorrect entry you create will work in all microsoft applications, such as word.
For instance, down the roadand a long winding road it wasthey traveled as quickly as possible. Theres a pretty simple shortcut which works on laptops and desktop macos systems by default. In your word document, place the text cursor where youd like the dash to go, and paste it. The en dash is 2 hyphens together, the width of a capital n. Type three hyphens in the lefthand box, to be replaced with paste the e. If you are using a typewriter, a pair of hyphens is the closest you can get to an em dash. Now a perfectly acceptable alternative to the em dash is an en dash with a space at each end like this. I dont really want to bother with en dashes, just like bill walsh,copy chief of the washington post.
Word 2016 word 20 word 2010 word 2016 for mac word for mac 2011 more. Find an em dash some existing document and copy it to the clipboard. If your word 2011 for mac documents is full of figures, then create a table of figures as an ataglance summary of what and where they are. The em dash can be used in much the way you would use a colon or a set of parentheses. Ellipsis versus the emdash september, 2011 february 7, 20 lisa j.
The above shortcuts are all valid ways you can use to type the em dash in word. Nov 10, 2014 to verify that the computer meets this prerequisite, click about this mac on the apple menu. This is what i use in writing, but i have a slight gap between my en dash and dash to make my em dash. Now, whenever you type, powerpoint will replace the three dashes with an em dash. How to do an em dash in word for mac polarzombies blog. In the dialog box, compare the version number next to latest installed update. I recently switched to word 2016 for mac, and at first that shortcut worked.
We gathered our supplies all eight truck loads and started slowly up the bypass. The character is called an em dash because it is one em wide, a length that varies depending on the font size. Even though i had ms word i have to use it at work and got used to the feature in auto correct where you type in two hypens and it replaces them with a. It will also convert spacehyphenspace into spaceen dashspace as you type. A look at the not yet released microsoft word 2011 for mac. In mac os x, an em dash can be typed very easily by holding down the option and shift keys and typing a hyphen. To use this shortcut, obey the following instructions. How to type em dash in word with shortcutlong dash. The terms en dash and em dash are a sort of hybrid of technical and vernacular.
In word for mac 2011 essential training, author maria langer shows how to create, format, and print a wide variety of documents in microsoft word 2011. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes. If you are on mac, below is a shortcut to help you type the em dash sign in word. Em dashes are often used to set off parenthetical information. For example, open word, and then on the word menu, click about word. It is wider than a hyphen and smaller than an em dash. To make the em dash which is the more popular between em and en. Whilst reading novels, you will see the longer em dash used. If you have the same result after verifying the autocorrect preference please note that here, but also submit a complaint at word for mac. It doesnt help that, while hyphens get a prime spot on the pc keyboard, the en dash and em dash are nowhere in sight. Emdashes, often known simply as dashes, get their name from typography. The course covers building outlines, formatting text and pages, working with headers and footers, using themes and styles, adding multimedia, and more. One is called the en dash and one is called the em dash. Typically, two em dashes represent the absence of one or more letters in a word.
To add the long dash also called em dash, click the special character. When using dashes you have three options available, a hyphen, an en dash and an em dash. Hold down the alt key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad. In todays tutorial, you will learn how to put a long dash in word. Create a table of figures in word 2011 for mac dummies. Three em dashes indicate the absence of an entire word. An em dash is the longest in length of the three and is used to show a break in thought. Autoformat converts some hyphens to long dashes in word.
Inserting an em dash microsoft word microsoft word tips tips. If its serious publishing, then who wants a double hyphen. Whether the figures are tables, pictures, graphs, drawings, smartart, wordart, or embedded objects, you can list them all in one place using words index and tables dialog in office 2011 for mac. To see how autocorrect works, follow these steps in powerpoint 2011 for mac. If that approach doesnt suit your needs, try one of three manual. Using em dashes, en dashes and hyphens within indesign. But it can be typed with the following keyboard shortcuts.
Highlight the em dash or en dash using your mouse, then press the delete key. But on a mac, the mac bu just likes to be annoying apparently because they chose to be inconsistent for no. How to easily access the elusive emdash on windows and mac. Solved find and replace with an em dash view topic. The em dash, em rule, or mutton is longer than an en dash. Format text with styles 10 notice that the colorcoded numbers on the styles tab correspond to the colorcoding that appears in the left margin of the document. The em dash signals an interruption in the sentence. You can see this post for more alternative ways to type this symbol. Word for office 365 word for office 365 for mac word for the web word 2019 word 2019 for mac word 2016 word 20 word 2010 word 2016 for mac word for mac 2011 word for ipad word for iphone word for android tablets word for android phones word mobile. You can also record macros for inserting dashes and assign those macros to key combinations. Like the en dash, the em dash likewise does not appear on most contemporary english keyboards. Word senses this as you finished the word following.
En dash according to wikipedia, the en dash, or n dash, nrule, etc. In word 2011 for mac, i used to be able to make an emdash by doing shiftalthyphen. When you use autocorrect options, you can also click stop automatically creating dashes, or click control autocorrect options to open the autocorrect dialog box. The em dash, which is what many people, like myself are getting frustrated with, when writing, need an em dash, the width of a capital m. How to type an em dash on a pc or mac when you want a. The whole office 2011 for mac suite is a huge improvement over the 2008 version. If you want to use en dashes instead of hyphens, insert a space before the hyphen. How to make dashes typing an em dash is trivial for macs and linux using facilities of the operating system.
In my word processor, blahblah autoformats the text to use what appears to be an em dash with no space between the dash and words. Jun 01, 2011 theres the en dash, the em dash, and the plain old hyphen. Ms word usually incorporates this feature automatically as you type. An em dash sets off one part of a sentence from the rest of the sentence. A 2em dash stands in for a missing word or a part of a word. If that approach doesnt suit your needs, try one of three manual methods. Alternatively, press the hyphen key twice and press space. Most people use the hyphen for everything, but the en and em dashes should be used in many cases instead of a hyphen. You may for example not want the two en dashes to automatically change to an em dash. How to type an em dash on a mac adam parker writing. In ye olde days of the typewriter, you would simply type two hyphens.
What i suggest works well on windows word and should work on a mac as well. Using em dashes instead of parentheses puts the focus on the information between the em dashes. Sep 28, 2010 a look at the not yet released microsoft word 2011 for mac. Choosing the right dash for the job in hand is usually overlooked and misunderstood. Inserting different dashes microsoft word word ribbon tips. Press and hold the alt key then type the code 0151 on the numeric keypad this will insert the em dash symbol into your word document. You can then pin the em dash within the list, and whenever you need to insert it in onenote or any other application, the em dash is just a keystroke away. And when youre in the middle of writing your latest masterpiece, do you know how to type an em dash when its just the thing to make a phrase stand out more.
Paul downie, former customer services assistant 20102011. Admittedly, mac makes it easier to use em and en dashes than windows. On some mac keyboards, the option key is called alt. How to stop autotext pagination page x of y on microsoft. This format is often used in bibliographies when citing multiple works by the same author. Jan 09, 2020 the em dash, which is used to break up sentences in a similar way to parentheses, can be made by holding down the control and alt keys, and pressing the dash key. So in 9point type, an em dash is nine points wide, while in 24point type the em. This will insert the em dash symbol into your word document. Blah blah autoformats to be an en dash with space between the dash and words. Similarly, an endash is about the width of the letter n. In todays tutorial, we will teach you how to put a long dash in word for macos. It can show an abrupt change in thought or be used where a period is too strong and a comma too weak.
1248 666 750 1417 1235 1113 1587 434 1281 737 928 213 962 334 682 560 479 503 1149 1375 244 900 756 432 474 982 166 192 748 1272 514 597