em-dashes
Parenthetical punctuation marks
An em-dash is a long horizontal mark (—) used in writing to set off parenthetical information, indicate interruption, or mark abrupt shifts in thought.
It's roughly the width of the letter M, distinguishing it from the shorter en-dash and hyphen.
Em-dashes can replace commas, colons, or parentheses for stronger emphasis: The answer—if there was one—eluded her.
In dialogue, they signal interrupted speech: I was just about to— Style guides differ on whether to set them off with spaces.
Break in continuity
- parentheticalSet off by punctuation
- breakInterrupt continuity
- asideBrief theatrical digression
- interjectionEmotional outcry word class
digression · insertion · clause · offset · separation · emphasis · pause · syntactic
Assigning origin or cause
- speechOral communication ability
- interruptionBreak in continuity
- cut-offSeparated or terminated
- trailingFollowing behind something
spoken · quotation · screenplay · script · character · mid-sentence · interjection · unfinished
interruption
Break in continuity
- parentheticalSet off by punctuation
- breakInterrupt continuity
- asideBrief theatrical digression
interjection · digression · insertion · clause · offset · separation · emphasis · pause · syntactic · grammar
attribution
Assigning origin or cause
- speechOral communication ability
- interruptionBreak in continuity
- cut-offSeparated or terminated
trailing · spoken · quotation · screenplay · script · character · mid-sentence · interjection · unfinished · stammering
dramatic pause
Intentional silence for emphasis
- emphasisStress given to something
- rhetoricalUsing language for effect
- flairStylish natural aptitude
stylistic · literary · expressive · abrupt · effect · tone · voice · impactful · stark · sudden
glyph
Visual form of character
kerning · spacing · width · hyphen · print · typeface · baseline · special character · keystroke · formatting
em-dashescommas
Punctuation for pauses
parentheses · periods · colons · semicolons · brackets