A quick question about the em dash.

[Ayaka Di'rutia]

A dash can also be used to abruptly change an idea, such as one a character is thinking about something and changes their view or emphasis on it.

I.E.:

Jane knew that he was a meanie---a great big meanie. [that is supposed to be an em-dash]

 

[Nihal]

^Yeah, and the most common usage of em dashes I've seen in books is to delimit an idea related to the subject, but with a slight change of focus. E.g.:

“The tunnel wound on and on, going fairly but not quite straight into the side of the hill–The Hill, as all the people for many miles round called it–and many little round doors opened out of it, first on one side and then on another.”

(The Hobbit, chapter I)​

P.s.: The code for em dash is Alt + 0151; for en dash it's 0150.

 

[BWFoster78]

I think the questions about em dashes have been resolved.

The current issue involves ellipses.

Thanks.

 

[Penpilot]

Here's something from the Chicago Manual of Style page. It's still a little fuzzy, but I think it's saying for fiction writing it's three dots.

Punctuation : We’re having a discussion about dialogue, suspension points, and complete sentences in my ...

Oh and here's a page that supports this. It defines fiction writing as informal writing so it's three dots.

When to use Ellipses

 

[BWFoster78]

Penpilot,

That's exactly what I needed.

Thanks!

Brian

 

[Filk]

From The Copyeditor's Handbook: " . . . when the cut material is located within one sentence in the original document, the quoter inserts a three-dot ellipses. But when the cut material spans a sentence boundary in the source document, a four-dot ellipses (that is, a period followed by a three dot ellipses) is used." It's worth mentioning that the book calls this an older convention.

I have always been taught to use ellipses sparingly. Although they are accepted in dialogue as a dramatic pause, they originally were to imply that something is left out.

I have a simple solution to the ellipses problem for my writing. I never use them. Ever. I don't think that my writing suffers from it. I describe the dramatic pause on the rare occasion that I use it and if it is an interruption I use the em dash.

I feel that as a writer you should know the rules to break them. Why not perfect your craft? You've only got the rest of your life to do it.

Edit: Oh yeah, and in response to Giant hehe. Try something like "'Jim. I'm dying. Please help." You can describe his manner of speech and the periods force the reader to realize a pause as well.

 

[BWFoster78]

I have always been taught to use ellipses sparingly. Although they are accepted in dialogue as a dramatic pause, they originally were to imply that something is left out.

I have a simple solution to the ellipses problem for my writing. I never use them. Ever. I don't think that my writing suffers from it. I describe the dramatic pause on the rare occasion that I use it and if it is an interruption I use the em dash.

I feel that as a writer you should know the rules to break them. Why not perfect your craft? You've only got the rest of your life to do it.

It seems that they're becoming much more standard in modern fiction. I think they're useful.

I do agree, however, that they should be used sparingly.