Abuse—Overuse—Misuse—Whatever You Call It—Too Much Is Too Much

How often do you rely on em dashes—and why? … Although occasional em dashes can clarify—or emphasize—phrases—and clauses—their appearance can annoy readers—and editors. Misuse transforms them into obnoxious interruptions—especially when combined with ellipsis overuse. Too-frequent reliance on these punctuation marks—just like overworked words—will grate nerves … and make your writing appear akin to an alien language rather than prose—as illustrated by this annoying—and poorly written—paragraph. …

(Note: This post adheres to The Chicago Manual of Style format for em dashes.)

What Are Em Dashes, and Why Would You Need Them?

An em dash is a long dash that takes up approximately the same amount of horizontal space as the letter M. To form an em dash, type two hyphens. You can configure word processors such as Word to convert the hyphens into em dashes. The INSERT SYMBOL function offers another way to access them.

Writers exploit em dashes as replacements for or indicators of:

• commas
• semicolons
• colons
• parentheses
• emphasis
• interruptions
• sudden breaks
• trailing off

Style Guides Offer Two Methods for Adjacent Spacing

According to The Chicago Manual of Style, you shouldn’t separate em dashes from surrounding text with spaces. The Associated Press Stylebook states the opposite.

The Chicago Manual of Style approach:

Never use peanut butter—or almond paste—in this recipe.

The Associated Press Stylebook approach:

Never use peanut butter — or almond paste — in this recipe.

Em dashes, like ellipses, are sticky punctuation. They stay attached to words if not set off by spaces.

Following The Chicago Manual of Style recommendation, you could end up with a split like this at the end of a line:

The man tipped his hat and said,
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious—that’s wot I always says to chaps on the street.”

The same sentence written according to The Associated Press Stylebook guidelines would divide better:

The man tipped his hat and said, “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious — that’s wot I always says to chaps on the street.”

Note: the shorter the words around the em dash, the less likely you will be to encounter spacing difficulties.

Try something like this instead of the preceding examples:

The man tipped his hat and said, “G’day—that’s wot I always says to chaps on the street.”

Better yet:

The man tipped his hat and said, “G’day’s wot I always says to chaps on the street.”

No em dash at all will usually yield the best visual experience.

Interrupted Dialogue Poses Spacing Problems Too

No matter which style guide you follow, an em dash preceding a quotation mark could result in a break that leaves a closing quotation mark at the beginning of a new line:

“I never wanted to go in—
”

Although workarounds like non-breaking thin spaces might solve the problem, they cause unpredictable results in some platforms used by self-publishers.

Beware Quotation Marks That Face the Wrong Way

Do you see something like this whenever you end dialogue with an em dash?

“I never wanted to go in—“

Note the closing quote mark. To fix this in Microsoft Word, type the following key sequence for the end of the sentence:

i n ” [CURSOR BACK] – –

In other words, you resolve the problem by typing the quotation mark first and then cursoring back to insert the em dash.

Evaluate Your Options

Perform a final search before submitting or publishing, and analyze every em dash.

• Would a comma or semicolon function better?

• a colon?

• parentheses?

• a new sentence or paragraph?

• a change in word order?

Consider These Examples

Example #1:

She does the cooking—and I always clean up the mess.

The words around the em dash are short. Good. However, a semicolon would function just as well.

She does the cooking; and I always clean up the mess.

Are you a semicolon hater? Try a comma instead.

She does the cooking, and I always clean up the mess.

If you don’t mind starting a sentence with and, the next edit would also make the point. Perhaps with better effect.

She does the cooking. And I always clean up the mess.

Example #2:

Professor Tomkins insists on three things—prompt attendance at all lectures, no cell phones, and no holey blue jeans.

Since the words before the em dash introduce a list, a colon would provide an appropriate alternative.

Professor Tomkins insists on three things: prompt attendance at all lectures, no cell phones, and no holey blue jeans.

Or you could reorganize the sentence.

Professor Tomkins insists that students arrive at his lectures on time, and he has banned cell phones and holey blue jeans.

Example #3:

Brandie’s agent—Karen Arthurs—requests an upfront deposit.

Commas would do a more effective job.

Brandie’s agent, Karen Arthurs, requests an upfront deposit.

Example #4:

While jogging his regular route—over seven miles of hilly terrain—Wayne listened to classical music.

Parentheses could replace the em dashes.

While jogging his regular route (over seven miles of hilly terrain) Wayne listened to classical music.

Disclaimer: Many editors dislike parentheses in fiction, preferring commas or alternative punctuation.

While jogging his regular route, over seven miles of hilly terrain, Wayne listened to classical music.

You could make a strong case for removing the first comma.

While jogging his regular route over seven miles of hilly terrain, Wayne listened to classical music.

Example #5:

“I always wanted a backpack like this,” Tori tugged at the packaging, “—and I can’t wait to show it to Lucius.”

The punctuation is correct. However, there’s no need for an em dash.

“I always wanted a backpack like this,” Tori tugged at the packaging, “and I can’t wait to show it to Lucius.”

Because the action beat interrupts dialogue, you capitalize and punctuate it as though it were a dialogue tag. If that makes you nervous, try rewording.

Tori tugged at the packaging. “I always wanted a backpack like this, and I can’t wait to show it to Lucius.”

Or:

“I always wanted a backpack like this,” Tori said as she tugged at the packaging, “and I can’t wait to show it to Lucius.”

Sometimes You Shouldn’t Eliminate Em Dashes

Consider this sentence.

Many chefs say this is the best way—no, the only way—to cook perfect rice.

If you were to replace the em dashes with commas, you would end up with the following.

Many chefs say this is the best way, no, the only way, to cook perfect rice.

The series of commas could confuse readers. Therefore, in this instance, em dashes function best.

As always, let your writing rest between edits. When you review your work with new perspective, awkward constructions will reveal themselves, especially when you read your words out loud.

Ready to Test Your Creativity?

Try these exercises and story prompts: Edit to remove all or most em dashes.

Exercise #1: “I must admit—” Captain Corliss stopped talking to his second-in-command—hand extended toward the airlock. A shape shimmered—between him and his escape route—sending a shiver creeping up his spine. “Who are you?” he demanded, “—and what is a Zanomorph doing on my ship?”

[Why are the captain and his second-in-command trying to leave their ship? Are they attempting an escape? What’s a Zanomorph?]

Exercise #2: Nobody could tell—any more than I—why people avoided looking into my eyes. Some days I spent minutes—or hours—gazing at my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t look so different—and I didn’t think I felt any different—than my coworkers—my family—my friends. I had two eyes—two ears—a bright smile. Women said I was handsome—whenever they stole a quick glance.

I tried over a dozen brands of deodorant—umpteen kinds of toothpaste—and even dyed my hair.

Nothing worked.

I felt isolated—alone—unloved. Only one solution remained. Did I dare try it?

[Does the narrator suffer from a mental condition? Perhaps he’s an alien or a fantasy being. Invent a solution that matches the narrator’s identity.]

Exercise #3: Two more miles—just two more miles—until I reached Seraphina. I couldn’t wait to gaze into her gorgeous eyes—taste her sweet lips—squeeze her until she squealed. My breaths heaved in ever-shorter gasps—each one forcing a stab of pain into my chest. I tripped over something—a root perhaps—and stumbled.

As I plummeted—in slow motion—toward the forest floor—a cackle sounded from behind me. “It ain’t that easy, sonny boy—you still have three more challenges—before you scale the mountain and mount the lovely maiden.”

[Seraphina means fiery ones. The Seraphim of the Bible are angels with six wings. Could that play a part in your story?]

Exercise #4: “Unsurpassed verbiage—and unparalleled parallels,” murmured the professor—as he stroked his white beard. “Excellent—excellent—I will read your story to the class, Ms.—uh—Ms. …”

Mitra’s eyes flashed with fury. “Ms. Melek.”

“Yes—yes—yes. Ms. Mallard.” He tapped at his hearing aid—and he blushed—a red rivalling that of a ripe tomato. “Uh—and why are you here—Ms.—uh—Ms. …?”

“You summoned me here—for an interview—as your assistant—sir.” She extended her hand.

The professor blinked. “Ah—I—” He reached across his desk and shook her hand. “Nice to meet you—Ms. …” His eyes lost focus—he slumped in his chair—and slid to the floor.

[Who is Mitra? A student? An assassin? Did she administer something to the professor via the handshake? Is he suffering from dementia? Has somebody else already poisoned him?]