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Dashing Through the Snow

© Barb Alexander

. . . actually, I wish there were some snow to talk about. A South Jersey native, I am grumbling my way through my second winter in the humid Florida Panhandle. Our temperature hasn't dipped below 70 in several weeks; I'm certainly not holding my breath for snow!

However, there is lots of "dashing" to be addressed. I have received several questions regarding the ubiquitous dash, and have decided to devote an entire article on the topic. A-dashing we go!

What is the difference between a dash and a hyphen?

Dashes and hyphens are two different little lines. A dash is used as an interruption. A hyphen links the parts of a compound word, separates syllables at the end of a typed line, and separates groups of digits in a phone number or Social Security number.

What is an em-dash?

An em-dash is used in publishing as a substitute for repeated hyphens. Instead of seeing this . . .

* A town in Maryland is holding a Christmas tree lighting this year--but Santa isn't invited.

. . . you'd see this . . .

* A town in Maryland is holding a Christmas tree lighting this year-but Santa isn't invited.

To make an em-dash, try holding down the Alt key and type 0151. Then release the Alt key.

You should see -(an em-dash)

which looks different from - (a hyphen)

Please keep in mind that different programs may have different methods of producing an em-dash. This particular one seems to work in Word, QuarkXPress, and Outlook. If you have a different method of producing an em-dash, please post in discussions on this article!

So then, what is an en-dash?

An en-dash (so called because it is-you guessed it-the width of a capital N) should be used to indicate a range of numbers or dates (1984-1988, pages 6-12, etc.)

To make an en-dash, try holding down the Alt key and type 0150. Then release the Alt key.

Again, please keep the differences between programs in mind. This method seems to work in Word, QuarkXPress, and Outlook. Do let us know if you have found another way of dashing around the keyboard!