EzineArticles - Expert Authors Sharing Their Best Original Articles



  Submit Articles
  Members Login
  Benefits
  Expert Authors
  Read Endorsements
  Editorial Guidelines
  Author TOS

  Terms of Service
  Ezines / Email Alerts
  Manage Subscriptions
  EzineArticles RSS

  Blog
  Forums
  About Us
  What's New
  Contact Us
  Article Writing Shop
  Advertising
  Affiliates
  Privacy Policy
  Site Map


Advanced Search


Would you like to be notified when a new article is added to the Visual-Graphic-Arts category?

Email Address:


Your Name:


Prefer RSS?
Subscribe to the
Visual-Graphic-Arts
RSS Feed:

How to Properly Use an En and Em Dash
Print This Article Ezine Publisher Send To Friends Add To Favorites Post A Comment Suggest Topic Report Author
CloseRecommend This Article
From:
To:
Message:

As Bringhurst says in, The Elements of Typographic Style: "In typescript, a double hyphen (--) is often used for a long dash. Double hyphens in a typeset document are a sure sign that the type was set by a typist, not a typographer" First, the en-dash* (-) is the shorter of the two (about the width of the character N) Access on the Mac is Option + -(minus) For the PC it is: hold Alt then type 0150 It is used to indicate a range of just about anything with numbers, including dates, times, numbers, game scores, and pages in any sort of document.

It is also used instead of the word "to" or a hyphen to indicate a connection between things, like: New York-Boston Amtrak pp. 13-26 Nov. 27-Jan 13 4:30-5:00 PM 40-55 cm There may (or may not) be space before and after an en dash depending on placement and context. Second, the em dash, which is about the width of a capital "M" It is accessed on the Mac by hitting Shift+Option+- (minus) On the PC: hold Alt then type 0151 It indicates a sudden break in thought--a parenthetical statement like this one--or an open range, 1987--? or instead of a colon or semicolon to link clauses. Typically there are NO spaces before or after an em dash.

Bringhurst also says: "The em dash is the 19th century standard, still prescribed in many editorial text books, but the em dash is too long for use with the best text faces. Like the oversized space between sentences, it belongs to the padded and corseted aesthetic of Victorian typography." An easy way to remember these is to just think of n is before m in the alphabet, so it it is the earlier or the "shorter" of the two. * the en-dash might not display properly depending on what browser you are using. But outside the browser world it should be fine.

Doug Farrick has over 20+ years experience in the design business, the last 5 owning a successful design firm. Since selling it in 2007 he has founded http://www.TheDesignersInnerCircle.com - a resource center for design business owners. Get the FREE report "27 Graphic Design Profit Boosting Tips" at: http://www.thedesignersinnercircle.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_Farrick

Douglas Farrick - EzineArticles Expert Author

Other Recent EzineArticles from the Arts-and-Entertainment:Visual-Graphic-Arts Category:

Most Viewed EzineArticles in the Arts-and-Entertainment:Visual-Graphic-Arts Category (60 Days)

  1. 10 Evocative Japanese Shunga Woodblock Prints
  2. What is Water Transfer Printing?
  3. The Famous Chinese Artist - Zhang Xiaogang
  4. The Top 5 Most Expensive Painters of All Time - They Dominate the Top 10 List
  5. How to Decorate Your Man Cave With Sports Art
  6. How to Select the Best Paper For Pencil Drawing
  7. Optical Illusion Art - Is What You Get Really What You See?
  8. Western Art - Stippling - Dotting Away to Colors
  9. Divisionism - An Unusual Painting Technique
  10. Silk Painting Techniques - Using Patterns
  11. Introduction to Digital Art
  12. How Building an Art Licensing Business is Like a Circus
  13. Western Art - Dusseldorf School of Painting - Where Art is a Tradition
  14. How to Improve Your Drawing Abilities - Better Your Best Skills Or Decrease Your Weaknesses?
  15. Western Art - Hudson River School - An American Perspective to Romanticism

Most Published EzineArticles in the Arts-and-Entertainment:Visual-Graphic-Arts Category (60 days)

  1. Western Art - Dusseldorf School of Painting - Where Art is a Tradition
  2. Western Painting - Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood - A Reform Movement in Western Art
  3. Introduction to Digital Art
  4. About Paul Cezanne and "Fruit and Jug on a Table"
  5. Western Art - American Realism - The US Emotional Reality Unfolded
  6. Western Art - Hudson River School - An American Perspective to Romanticism
  7. Western Art - Stippling - Dotting Away to Colors
  8. Divisionism - An Unusual Painting Technique
  9. Western Art - Modular Constructivism - A Structured Style of Sculpturing
  10. How to Select the Best Paper For Pencil Drawing
  11. Drawing the Traditional Way With a Digital Drawing Tablet
  12. Painting Techniques - Become an Amazing Artist With the Right Techniques
  13. Freelance Graphic Artists - The Solution to Economical Graphic Design
  14. 5 Famous Art Heists to Talk About at Parties
  15. Smoke and Dent 3D Materials

 

This article has been viewed 1,815 time(s).
Article Submitted On: June 07, 2008



© EzineArticles.com - All Rights Reserved Worldwide.