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Usenet Posted 21 years ago
Usage

Spaces round em rule?

In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like this:
"In a sentence such as this one which has em rules should there be spaces before and after the em rules?"
Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule?

Tia.
  

Top answer

[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ... [/nq] It's an em dash. The spacing conventions depend on the type used.

  • [nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ...
  • [/nq] It's an em dash.
  • The spacing conventions depend on the type used.
  • Here, using Courier, I use a space on both sides.
  • Some others don't.
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23 Answers
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ... spaces before and after the em rules?" Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule?[/nq]
It's an em dash. The spacing conventions depend on the type used. Here, using Courier, I use a space on both sides. Some others don't.
Skitt (in Hayward, Cali
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ... before and after the em rules?" Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule? Tia.[/nq]
An em rule is a dash, a line about as long as the width of the M character as distinguished from an en rule which is shorter. I would surround them with spaces. The
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ... spaces before and after the em rules?" Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule?[/nq]
That's what I'd call an "em dash". I suppose it depends on what font you are using and to which style guide you ascribe. I don't use spaces around them, probably s
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like this: "In a sentence such as this one which has em rules should there be spaces before and after the em rules?"[/nq]
Style manuals call for no spaces, but some posters to this group including me think that makes the result look too much like hyphenation. In printed matter, the no-
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like ... spaces before and after the em rules?" Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule?[/nq]
Thanks for the replies. It looks as if I'm justified in not using spaces if I don't want to. I think things look nicer without. (Sadly I'm also told that I shouldn
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like this: "In a sentence such as this one which has em rules should there be spaces before and after the em rules?"[/nq]
No.
[nq:1]Also, am I right to call that particular punctuation mark an em rule?[/nq]
I call it an em dash.
Adrian
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Jim Spriggs filted:
[nq:2]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules like this:[/nq]
[nq:1]Thanks for the replies. It looks as if I'm justified in not using spaces if I don't want to. I think things look nicer without. (Sadly I'm also told that I shouldn't use two spaces after a full stop. I think I'll ignore that.)[/nq]
Good
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[nq:1]In a sentence such as this one which has em rules, should there be spaces before and after the em rules[/nq]
Em-dashes require no spaces; some publications, however (e.g., the TLS), use what look like spaced en-dashes.
Some presses want typescripts to code em-dashes as three hyphens and en-dashes as two hyphens. Ask your publisher.
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[nq:1](Sadly I'm also told that I shouldn't use two spaces after a full stop. I think I'll ignore that.)[/nq]
If you're going to do it, and I agree that it's a good practice in a monospacing environment, you should use two spaces after a sentence, thus: "I went to St. George St. St. John went to West Dr. And Dr. West went to Jill St. John St. in St. John's."

(Yes, I know some p
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[nq:1]I'm of the generation that doesn't put spaces around dashes, but there is one considerable disadvantage to such a sensible ... funny hyphen, and will tell you that "sentence such" and "one which" in your example sentence are not words in its dictionary..r[/nq]
I tend not to put spaces around dashes, either. I think my reason is that with a lot of text-editing software, there is a chance

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