When Should Em Dash Be Used?

When Should Em Dash Be Used?

We use the em dash to create a strong break in the structure of a sentence. We can use these dashes in pairs, as we would use parentheses—that is, to enclose a word, or a phrase, or a clause (as we've done here)—or they can be used alone to detach one end of a sentence from its main body.

Should I use em dash?

We use em-dashes to add emphasis to the size of the car. It's also important that when you set off a phrase using em-dashes that you used one em-dash immediately after the noun the phrase is describing and one immediately after the phrase. Don't replace the second em-dash (as some tend to) with a comma or semicolon.

How do you use an em dash correctly?

The em dash can be used in place of a colon when you want to emphasize the conclusion of your sentence. The dash is less formal than the colon. After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdict⁠—guilty. The white sand, the warm water, the sparkling sun⁠—this is what brought them to Fiji.

James H. Sterling
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James H. Sterling

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.