The em dash is a favorite of mine! It's so interesting, too, to think about it (and other punctuation) in terms of expressing human emotion in contrast to succinct, AI-generated content. Give me all the em dashes if it makes everything feel more genuine!
I tend to write like I speak so when I have a pause that means more than a comma, I find myself using a triple period (...). I wonder if this is similar to the em dash. Anyways, I've been told this identifies me as GenX.
It's also my understanding that a percentage of the population doesn't hear a voice in their head when reading. I wonder if the em dash or the ... has the same effect for them that it does for me.
What a beautiful tribute to the em dash! My first job out of college was at a book publisher, where I learned the sanctity of many niche punctuation/grammar/typography practices. I had never considered the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash before then. And I found an em dash so fun to employ in my life! Over a decade later, I must admit, I’ve become lazy—often defaulting to a simple hyphen, knowing many folks won’t notice the difference. But you are inspiring me to bring back my respect and reverence for the em dash! What nerdy fun it will be!
I love this deep dive into such a niche grammar topic! The history of the em dash is so interesting, too. At my last job our director of marketing hated em dashes so much that she banned them from any communication our office sent out. So I used to see them as bad, but I'm a recovered em dash avoider now ◡̈
I wonder if it's an AP style thing—I know that journalists might not have as great a use for the em dash, since it's a more "voice"-y form of communication.
Haha! Only a language nerd could go on at length about the em dash! Love it
I was actually never, ever taught about em or en dashes. I had to learn about them when we would go layout our newspaper in college. When my son was in school, they covered them extensively, but I found all the rules confusing. The em dash, in particular, has definitely grown in popularity. I still use sparingly—but for effect.
Dee! Here I was thinking I was being brief, ha! :) Wait until you hear my exegesis on semicolons. I'm glad to hear that the em dash really has grown in popularity; I wasn't sure if it was in my head!
En dash evangelist, reporting for duty! One of my biggest pet peeves in writing is when a hyphen is used to represent a range (0-60), instead of the appropriate en dash (0–60). In Substack’s font the difference is less noticeable, but the incorrectly used hyphen always stands out to me. My biggest em dash pet peeve: spaces around the em dash. …I promise I am not a drag!
I noticed that you did not add spaces before and after the em-dash, but in the tweet you screenshotted, they did add spaces. I always add spaces — it seems more correct to me.
I got to the point where I was so annoyed with AI using em dashes that I forced them to stop with background rules. Never in my life have I met a person who actively uses them in their writing.
You're speaking my love language. My high school English teacher (Mrs. Barnwell!) used to say, "A comma is a whisper, a dash is a shout."
I just love that!
The em dash is a favorite of mine! It's so interesting, too, to think about it (and other punctuation) in terms of expressing human emotion in contrast to succinct, AI-generated content. Give me all the em dashes if it makes everything feel more genuine!
I tend to write like I speak so when I have a pause that means more than a comma, I find myself using a triple period (...). I wonder if this is similar to the em dash. Anyways, I've been told this identifies me as GenX.
It's also my understanding that a percentage of the population doesn't hear a voice in their head when reading. I wonder if the em dash or the ... has the same effect for them that it does for me.
Oh, I forgot about the fact that some of the population doesn't hear a voice in their heads! That's fascinating.
What a beautiful tribute to the em dash! My first job out of college was at a book publisher, where I learned the sanctity of many niche punctuation/grammar/typography practices. I had never considered the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash before then. And I found an em dash so fun to employ in my life! Over a decade later, I must admit, I’ve become lazy—often defaulting to a simple hyphen, knowing many folks won’t notice the difference. But you are inspiring me to bring back my respect and reverence for the em dash! What nerdy fun it will be!
Em dash solidarity, Meg!
Yes! I live for the em dash. Use them all the time in my own writing— especially in my poetry. ❤️
I love your poetry, so it doesn't surprise me that em dashes live there too!
I love this deep dive into such a niche grammar topic! The history of the em dash is so interesting, too. At my last job our director of marketing hated em dashes so much that she banned them from any communication our office sent out. So I used to see them as bad, but I'm a recovered em dash avoider now ◡̈
I wonder if it's an AP style thing—I know that journalists might not have as great a use for the em dash, since it's a more "voice"-y form of communication.
Haha! Only a language nerd could go on at length about the em dash! Love it
I was actually never, ever taught about em or en dashes. I had to learn about them when we would go layout our newspaper in college. When my son was in school, they covered them extensively, but I found all the rules confusing. The em dash, in particular, has definitely grown in popularity. I still use sparingly—but for effect.
Dee! Here I was thinking I was being brief, ha! :) Wait until you hear my exegesis on semicolons. I'm glad to hear that the em dash really has grown in popularity; I wasn't sure if it was in my head!
En dash evangelist, reporting for duty! One of my biggest pet peeves in writing is when a hyphen is used to represent a range (0-60), instead of the appropriate en dash (0–60). In Substack’s font the difference is less noticeable, but the incorrectly used hyphen always stands out to me. My biggest em dash pet peeve: spaces around the em dash. …I promise I am not a drag!
I noticed that you did not add spaces before and after the em-dash, but in the tweet you screenshotted, they did add spaces. I always add spaces — it seems more correct to me.
I got to the point where I was so annoyed with AI using em dashes that I forced them to stop with background rules. Never in my life have I met a person who actively uses them in their writing.
I love em dashes so much. Thanks for a great post!
I'll be holding on to this description forever:
"An excess can make you look unhinged or, at least, as breathless as an Emily Dickinson poem.* "
Thank you! Also, the CMOS agrees with you on no spaces before or after the em dash.