tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post223207310844461918..comments2024-01-01T11:51:53.860-08:00Comments on Babbles from Scott Eagan: Let's talk Dashes TodayScott Eaganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17209357682070126879noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-28550510316912975792010-01-21T08:59:04.109-08:002010-01-21T08:59:04.109-08:00A side note from a magazine editor (and former typ...A side note from a magazine editor (and former typesetter):<br /><br />Many writers, not knowing the difference, submit manuscripts containing en-dashes instead of em-dashes.<br /><br />En-dashes, for those who don't know, are the dashes that are longer than hyphens, but shorter than em-dashes, and they have a specific purpose in properly typesetter material.Michael Brackenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01072019804281421944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-19280536935214526052010-01-20T10:09:26.142-08:002010-01-20T10:09:26.142-08:00This is a great explanation of em dashes. I wish e...This is a great explanation of em dashes. I wish everyone would read it and learn. A solitary, out-of-place hyphen stops me cold--trips me up every time, often to the point of not reading any further. Sadly, I see it frequently, even in blogs about writing.<br /><br />You might want to add another use for the em dash: in dialogue to indicate that the speech of one person has been interrupted by another (I lifted this one from CMoS):<br /><br />"Well, I don't know," he began tentatively. "I thought I might--"<br /><br />"Might what?" she interrupted savagely. "Might what?"<br /><br />The above could lead into a great post on speaker attributions and adverb abuse!<br /><br />[signed: your friendly typesetter]<br /><br />ps: I used a double hyphen instead of an em dash because I've no idea what this blog's html code would do to it. <br />pps: Here's a test em dash — just to see what will happen.Maggie Danahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09397320196343147825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163829887162955058.post-24868599466290707352010-01-20T09:39:22.554-08:002010-01-20T09:39:22.554-08:00Okay, I want to make sure I have this straight. W...Okay, I want to make sure I have this straight. When using the em-dash -- the typesetter converts this into the longer version I see in novels? (I read this in yesterday's post) <br /><br />I've driven myself nuts trying to make the longer version in my MS's and have resorted to ... instead. Is ... wrong?BarbWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18388896725273080600noreply@blogger.com