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Hiineedhelp Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
Em-dash
Am I using the em-dash correctly in the example below?
'Karen, Terry and Mandy was here yesterday,'—I decided to leave out Andy—'and they seemed to like this place a lot.'
'Karen, Terry and Mandy was here yesterday,'—I decided to leave out Andy—'and they seemed to like this place a lot.'
Top answer
'Karen, Terry and Mandy were here yesterday' Otherwise I think it is OK.
- 'Karen, Terry and Mandy were here yesterday' Otherwise I think it is OK.
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10 Answers
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Don't use a comma before the first dash. The dash itself indicates enough pause.
Remove the quotation marks. Or make the whole sentence into one quotation.
Instead of dashes, you could use parentheses if you wish to.
Clive
Remove the quotation marks. Or make the whole sentence into one quotation.
Instead of dashes, you could use parentheses if you wish to.
Clive
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CliveRemove the quotation marks. Or make the whole sentence into one quotation.Both of those would change the meaning, though. In the original, the words spoken are "Karen, Terry and Mandy were here yesterday, and they seemed to like this place a lot". "I decided to leave out Andy" is not spoken but describes the speaker's descision.
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I didn't get that meaning. To me, that is stretching the use of an em-dash too far.
Let me get on my soapbox a minute. I see it as the writer's responsibility to make the reader's job as easy as possible. Em-dash interpolations are often just an excuse by the writer to avoid proper structuring and communicatio
Let me get on my soapbox a minute. I see it as the writer's responsibility to make the reader's job as easy as possible. Em-dash interpolations are often just an excuse by the writer to avoid proper structuring and communicatio
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Perhaps.
But my view is that it would better to write it more clearly in the first place. And not difficult to do.
Clive
But my view is that it would better to write it more clearly in the first place. And not difficult to do.
Clive
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Hi
My view - and perhaps I'm being controversial - is that the m-dash just looks too large here. I wouldn't expect to see it in that context. It is conventional to use it when text is attributed to someone
—Dave Anon
My view - and perhaps I'm being controversial - is that the m-dash just looks too large here. I wouldn't expect to see it in that context. It is conventional to use it when text is attributed to someone
—Dave Anon
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I have a different opinion about this. I think the dashes are just fine, assuming the intended meaning is as I described.
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dave_anonMy view - and perhaps I'm being controversial - is that the m-dash just looks too large here.My understanding is that the em-dash is correct for setting off parenthetical items. Some people use an en-dash, however. The use of hyphens for this purpose is not strictly correct.
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