Use of '--' vs '...' (the ellipsis)

The "long dash" is technically referred to as an em dash (as in, it's about the same width as the lowercase letter m in typeface). Here's some info from Grammar Girl about proper use of ellipsis: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/how-to-use-ellipses.aspx and here's some info about when to use the em dash: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-grammar.aspx http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/dashes-parentheses-commas.aspx

The bottom line is that you'll be okay using either an em dash or an ellipsis in almost any "pause" or "cut off" situation, as long as you are consistent. It's one of those things an editor will alter to suit the publisher's house style anyway, so just stick to a usage that feels comfortable to you and you're golden.

iwannabepublished said:

I've read a bit about the proper place where the ellipsis '...' can be used correctly. However, I have a question about the use of what I call the long dash.

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Ellipsis...trailing speech "I never thought of that..."

Em dash--interrupted speech: "I never thought of that--" "Well, you should have, and now everyone's dead."

Yeah, I use them they way dangerousebill does.

Just for reference, em dash is ALT + 0151 on PC and Shift + Option "+" on the Mac.

iwannabepublished said:

Usually this is typed as a double dash '--'.

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Again, only technically, the "-" is a hyphen, not a dash. Everyone who took typing way back when Mrs. Graham timed and graded the correct words-per-minute you were able to clack out knew it took two hyphens "--" to make a dash on a typewriter.

That was before computers, but I still see lots of students writing papers without hyphenated words and using the hyphen key for a dash.

DanielaTorre said:

Just for reference, em dash is ALT + 0151 on PC...

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I tried that in my Word program and nothing happened.

Susan Littlefield said:

I tried that in my Word program and nothing happened.

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Alt + 0151 works for the numbers on the numeric keypad. If you're using a note/net-book you'll have to press the Fn key+ corresponding keys instead of the numbers onthe top row.

Susan Littlefield said:

I tried that in my Word program and nothing happened.

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Ya gotta use /Insert /Symbol in Word (but you knew that). The alt-XXX trick worked with Word Perfect when I used it years ago, and I think it works in Wordpad (too lazy to check it out).

DanielaTorre said:

Just for reference, em dash is ALT + 0151 on PC

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Works for me in Word. Thanks!

DanielaTorre said:

Just for reference, em dash is ALT + 0151 on PC and Shift + Option "+" on the Mac.

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Works for me, too! Never knew about this trick. Many thanks.

Adagio

... thanks from me, too, for alt-key combo. Will give that a try.

It's kinda weird though. You'd think that typing two dashes would result in an em dash automatically being substituted. I sorta remember reading that this actually should happen. Never has for me though :-(

For a good discussion about em dashes vs dots see Strunk's "Elements of Style."

I only know Word 2003, but you can set your preferences for an em dash to appear when you type two hyphens, or to leave it as two hyphens. In word 2003 you click on Format, select Autoformat, then Options. The em dash is among the checkboxes.

Edit: This will not change existing uses of --, as I recall, only make new ones you type change.

Maryn, sometimes helpful

My copy of Word changes a hyphen to an m-dash if it thinks it should be one. I think it's simply based on whether it's surrounded by spaces.

It mostly gets it right, the exception being at the end of dialogue (probably because the closing quote is next to it).

skylark said:

My copy of Word changes a hyphen to an m-dash if it thinks it should be one. I think it's simply based on whether it's surrounded by spaces.

It mostly gets it right, the exception being at the end of dialogue (probably because the closing quote is next to it).

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Wow, thats one smart Word!

I use Ctrl + Alt + the minus sign on my numeric keyboard for the em dash. I have Word 2007, but it's always worked for me that way.

As others have said before me, I us the em dash for broken and interrupted thoughts; flanking em dashes within a line of dialogue or narrative indictae a brief detour into a separate thought before returning to the thought begun earlier:
"Cash pried at the lid of the box--Steve was going to have his hide if he knew what he was about to do--and opened it."
Of course, here the double hyphen is the appropriate substitute, as ctrl+alt+- doesn't work.

The ellipse is generally used for trailing thoughts and unspoken dialogue:
"If Steve knew what he was about to do, he'd...
Cash gritted his teeth and opened the box anyway."

I've seen ellipses and em dashes used in ways that, for me, seemed reverse of this and I found it distracting. So, even though there's certainly room for personal style, I'd worry about going too far astray of the recs given here. Above all, be consistent, and do use Strunk and other resources for guidance.