What is the Big Dash Symbol?

The big dash symbol, also known as the em dash, is a punctuation mark used to denote sudden changes in sentence structure, set off explanations or emphases, and introduce a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it. It is a long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen, and is often used stylistically to draw a reader’s attention to a particular bit of information, functioning like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis.

Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

1. What does the big dash mean? The em dash can function like a comma, a colon, or parenthesis, setting off extra information, such as examples, explanatory or descriptive phrases, or supplemental facts, and introducing a clause that explains or expands upon something that precedes it.
2. How do you type a big dash? For Mac, press option+shift+hyphen key, and for desktop PC, press alt+ctrl+minus on the numeric keypad.
3. What is the difference between a hyphen and a big dash? Hyphens are shorter and used between prefixes and words to make compound words, while em dashes are longer and used between phrases or clauses.

Usage and Application

4. What is the big dash used for? The em dash is used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and! semicolons, and to indicate a break or an abrupt change in the thought flow, drawing attention to a particular bit of information.
5. How do you use the dash symbol? Use dashes to mark the beginning and end of a series, and to mark the interruption of a sentence in dialogue.
6. What are the different types of dash symbols? There are three lengths of dashes: the hyphen (-), the en-dash (–), and the em-dash (—).

Technical Questions

7. Where is the big dash on the keyboard? If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an em dash or 0150 for an en dash.
8. How do you put a dash in text? The em dash can be inserted by typing Control+Alt+Minus between the words it separates.
9. What is the two-dash symbol? The 2-em dash indicates missing or disguised letters or words and is sometimes called the omission dash or the double em dash.

Comparison and Contrast

10. Is a hyphen a dash? A hyphen joins two or more words together, while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements, with hyphens not separated by spaces and dashes having a space on either side.
11. What is the difference between a hyphen and a long dash? Em dashes are longer and used between phrases or clauses, while hyphens are shorter and used between prefixes and words to make compound words.
12. What are the different types of long dashes? There are three lengths of dashes: the hyphen (-), the en-dash (–), and the em-dash (—), each with its own function and usage.

Miscellaneous

13. What is the small dash symbol? The hyphen (-) is the shortest of the three marks and is familiar to most writers.
14. What is the swing dash symbol? A swing dash or tilde (∼) is used in place of a word or part of a word previously spelled out.
15. What is the long dash for quotes? An em dash or horizontal bar is used to set off the source of a direct quotation, but not an en dash.