

- #HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD HOW TO#
- #HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD FULL#
- #HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PRO#
To use an em dash on your Mac or PC, you'll need to use some quick keyboard shortcuts. It's not, however, found on most keyboards. This website explains the difference between the en-dash and em-dash. The en-dash and em-dash are similar but have slight differences. Or, you can choose to copy and paste the em dash character here: Click OK to. The em dash is also stylistically beautiful, in both its visual appearance and diverse grammatical usage, making it many writers' favorite - especially poets (like me). You can create a dash on a PC by holding down the ALT key and typing either 0150 (en-dash) or 0151 (em-dash). Now, add the em dash into the box under With using the Alt-0151 or Shift-Option-Hyphen (on Mac) keyboard shortcuts. However, Word provides a built-in nonbreaking hyphen that is simpler to use than the process for dashes. These steps can also be used for hyphens. A nonbreaking dash will stop words or numbers connected by an en dash or em dash from separating at the end of a line.
#HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD HOW TO#
If you can think it, the emdash can do it. This tutorial shows you how to create a nonbreaking dash in Microsoft Word. On my MacBook Pro, I can just type option-hyphen for a en-dash, and shift-option-hyphen for an em-dash, but it doesn't seem to work on the Smart Keyboard.
#HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PRO#
The em dash can tie independent clauses together like a sailor's knot, represent interruptions in thought, and more. I'm editing a book using Google Docs on the iPad Pro (12.9') with the Smart Keyboard. If you're among the uninitiated and have no idea what I'm talking about: the em dash (the - symbol here) might just be the most superior punctuation mark there is. Ah, the em dash - a punctuation mark so spectacular, the entire keyboard wasn't enough to contain its glory. I'll admit it - I'm nerdy enough to have opinions about grammar, especially about the em dash.

Now that you know how to type a dash, maybe you’re slightly worried that you’ll become an em dash fiend.

#HOW TO CREATE AN EM DASH ON KEYBOARD FULL#
If the usual keystroke shortcuts don’t work on your laptop, though, it can’t hurt to try attaching an external full keyboard or numeric keypad.
