#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD HOW TO#
#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PC#
#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PLUS#
#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD SERIES#

If you select one, you can see if a key combination has already been assigned to it in the window labeled вЂњCurrent keys.вЂќ If one has not, or if you want to change the current keys, enter a combination of keys in the box under вЂњPress new shortcut key.вЂќ I have set up my version of Word so that Ctrl+1 creates an em dash and Ctrl+2 creates an en dash. In the text window on the right, you will see Em Dash and En Dash.

Click the box marked вЂњCustomize.вЂќ In the text window labeled вЂњCategories,вЂќ scroll all the way to the bottom. At the bottom of the Customize Ribbon box, you should see Keyboard Shortcuts. If you are using Word on a PC, click the following tabs in order: File > Options > Customize Ribbon.

Users may want to create their own shortcuts for dashes.

#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PLUS#

On a Mac, the built-in shortcut for en dashes is Option+- (thatвЂ™s the Option key plus the hyphen key), and the shortcut for em dashes is Option+Shift+- (Option, Shift, then the hyphen key).

#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD HOW TO#

If youвЂ™re using a laptop, youвЂ™ll probably want to create your own shortcuts, which I explain how to do below.

#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD PC#

Note tha tВ you cannot use the number keys or minus signВ at the top of the keyboard to insert dashes using the built-in shortcuts or Alt codes on a PC you must use the numerical keypad with Num Lock turned on, which you canвЂ™t do on a laptop. Or you could use Alt codes: hold down the Alt key andВ press 0150 for an en dash and 0151 for an em dash. On a PC, itвЂ™s easiest to press Ctrl+- (thatвЂ™s Ctrl plus the minus sign)В for an en dash and Alt+ Ctrl+- (thatвЂ™s Alt plus Ctrl plusВ the minus sign) for an em dash. If they donвЂ™t work for you, consult MicrosoftвЂ™s website. The instructions below will work for most versions of Word on either a PC or a Mac. вЂњSarah FieldingвЂ™s Dashing Style and Eighteenth-Century Print Culture.вЂќ ELH, vol. The following provides an example, in the page range at the end of the entry:Д«archas, Janine. MLA publications use en dashes in the works-cited list to separate numbers in numerical ranges. Three em dashes appear in place of the author before the second work and all subsequent works. Our publications require em dashes in the works-cited list when there are two or more works by a single author. But MLA publications use dashes to enhance readability. In student writing, there is no need to use em and en dashes in the works-cited list. Our related post on hyphens and en dashes explains how we use them.

For example, the phrase вЂњthe Academy AwardвЂ“winning actressвЂќ needs an en dash, not a hyphen. MLA style uses en dashes-so called because they are the length of the letter n-in prose after single compound adjectives that are also proper nouns. Em dashes-like the ones used in this sentence-separate one portion of the sentence from another. TheyвЂ™re called that because theyвЂ™re the width of the letter m. When you use dashes in your prose, theyвЂ™re typically em dashes. In what follows I provide examples of how the MLA uses dashes and how to access them in Microsoft Word. For that reason, it is a good idea to use keyboard shortcuts to insert them in your text. But dashes do not appear on standard keyboards. They also appear in works-cited lists in MLA publications. Whereas hyphens primarily divide compound words (вЂњa long-standing concernвЂќ), dashes divide other kinds of compound structures or indicate breaks in a sentence. Дashes come in two varieties: em dashes and en dashes. This post explains how to use dashes in MLA style and Microsoft Word.

#HOW TO INSERT EM DASH ON KEYBOARD SERIES#

The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines.

How to insert em dash on keyboard