The em dash is a type of punctuation used to indicate a change in thought or interruption. It is the length of an em and can be used in place of parentheses, colons, and ellipses. The formatting of the dash depends on the style guide used.
An em dash is a type of punctuation, which is similar in appearance to a dash and gets its name from the period length of an em. As such, it is sometimes called an M dash or M rule, although it is not uncommon for it to be referred to as a ram. The em dash indicates an interruption or change in thought by the speaker or narrator. This dash can be used when other similar punctuation types, such as parentheses, colons, and ellipses, are not suitable. The correct formatting of a dash largely depends on the style and usage guide that a particular editor or publisher follows.
The em dash got its name from its defined length. An em dash is the length of an em. In keeping with the font size specification, the length of an em is expressed in points. For example, an em in 12-point pattern is 12 points wide. Similarly, an em in 16-point pattern is 16 points wide.
While a writer, editor, or publisher generally uses an em dash to indicate a thought shift or stop, there are several other more specific reasons. For example, the hyphen could be used to insert a part within a sentence or at the end of a sentence. It can also be used to indicate a break in the narrator’s or speaker’s thoughts or speech. Sometimes, a dash is used in place of an ellipsis, such as when the narrator or the word cannot continue due to emotional reasons or distraction. Typically, these dashes are used when the use of parentheses, colons, or other types of punctuation is inappropriate or strong enough.
Similar to most types of punctuation, the correct formatting of a dash depends on the authority of the style. Both “The Chicago Manual of Style” and “The Oxford Guide to Style” state that these dashes should be closed, meaning there are no spaces on either side. Other style guides, such as “The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage,” call for an open set, which means there are spaces on each side of the dash. Some authors prefer the open set to the closed set, because the dash of the closed set seems too long. Overall, the preferred style will depend on the piece of writing as well as where and by what entity it is being published.
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