Using Dashes Semantically

It seems nigh impossible to unlearn the punctuation rules we were schooled in. For example, inserting two spaces after a period is a relic of the typewriter, a convention used to avoid the “rivers” of white space created by monospaced fonts. But though this convention has long since been deprecated, I have found it to be a fool’s errand trying to help older writers unlearn the reflexive habit of punching the space bar twice after a full stop. Nonetheless, if only in my own writing and editing, I’m on a personal mission to overturn convention, to promote using the hyphen in a way that it correctly communicates what is intended.

Em dash: A symbol used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis, definition, or explanation, or to separate two clauses.

Your Dictionary

An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. In general, the em dash is seen as being more interruptive or striking than other punctuation, so it is often used stylistically to draw a reader’s attention to a particular bit of information. The em dash resembles a horizontal line (—) that is longer than both a hyphen (-) and an en dash (–).

Thesaurus.com

It is worth learning the keyboard shortcut for the em dash — sometimes mislabeled as a hyphen — to avoid the unsightly double dash: –. On a Mac, depress shift-option when hitting dash. In Windows, it appears there is no universal key, though a shortcut does exist in Word. No doubt the failure to use proper em dashes is exacerbated by them being deprived of a spot on the keyboard. In my view, however, the em dash and en dash are beset by an even graver malady, even in publications that are professionally typeset.

Em Dashes Are Not Barbells

The purpose of em dashes is to separate clauses, not to connect words. The most common convention is to insert the dashed clause—such as this one—without buffering the em dashes with spaces. This approach confusingly connects the word pairings on either side of the clause rather than the clause itself. Visually, it suggests in this instance a connection between clause—such and one—without rather than the intended grouping: such as this one. As a result, one often has to retreat a few words having realized you’ve stumbled into a clause and missed the intended emphasis. So, may I commend to you — writers, editors, and bloggers — that you begin giving the em dash a little breathing room, both to the right and to the left. Take a gander at A List Apart’s “The Trouble with EM ‘n EN”, which corrects many related issues while illustrating this one. And for what it’s worth, I think ellipses (…) merit the same treatment.

On Dashes and Apostrophes

While I’m at it, there are several other conventions I flout intentionally for the sake of aesthetics and semantics. Some are in flux as grammarians try to land on a standard, so each time you commit your usage to paper or pixel, you cast your vote. While the “Web” and the “Internet” — both concrete and specific proper nouns — should be capitalized, “webpage” and “website” should not. For purely aesthetic reasons, I strongly prefer “email” to “e-mail”. For my part, I think dashes should be eliminated whenever possible.

A lamentable development in recent years has been the introduction of a new rule with respect to the possessive “s” in cases where the possessing noun ends in “s”. Before the change, I would refer to my brother Jonathan’s family by adding an apostrophe-“s” to his name, but to my brother James’ family by merely appending an apostrophe. Ostensibly for the sake of consistency and ease-of-use, now all possessive nouns are supposed to carry the trailing apostrophe and “s”. Now it’s: “James’s family”. Yuck! Because we read to ourselves silently, this change inevitably leads to reciting “Jameseses” in my (and probably your) inner dialogue. I think writers are more than capable of remembering the exception to the rule. It’s a change I’m resisting for now, hoping for a reversal.

Quotation Marks: The Queen’s and the Colonialists’

As for semantics, I consider both the British and American rules for quotation marks insufficient to clearly communicate what is in fact being quoted. American English grammar dictates: “the period that concludes this sentence should fall within these quotation marks.” And, “if the quoted clause lands mid-sentence,” the comma should again be nested within the quotes. The problem is, the period and comma both belong to the sentence, not to the quoted clause. For example, consider how odd this correctly placed period is: Our Services are provided “as is.” British English improves upon this situation, placing the punctuation mark after the quotations. Unfortunately, as best I can tell, it does so uniformly, even when a full sentence is being quoted. My own view is that, if a full sentence is being quoted, the period should be included within the quotation marks, whereas if it the quote is merely a clause, sentence punctuation should fall outside.

This issue of placement, what lies within and lies without, is highlighted nicely by a corollary issue of the placement of HTML markup. The discussion at CSS Tricks highlights my intuitions here.

On Being An Orthographic Rebel

As a rule, I am a believer in conforming to the letter of the law when constructing sentences. Grammatical correctness communicates competence and care. Plus, when the rules are generally reinforced, intentional deviations from English orthography can serve a creative role, a la e.e. cummings. However, there are deficiencies in any written language, and I’m all for doing my part to contribute to its evolution. No doubt I’ve inadvertently committed grammatical errors here, even as I’ve been agitating about grammar. I appreciate the irony. In my defense, it is inherently tricky to use sentences to speak self-referentially about sentences. In any case, in the gray areas of grammar, I was taught that deviations from the norm are acceptable as long as they are applied consistently within a document. That is a rule I can follow.

As a designer, it is possible — likely, perhaps — that I’m more fickle about the look of a word or phrase than the average Joe. Typesetting isn’t a professional endeavor for most. Nonetheless, in the case of hyphens and quotations marks, my considered deviations are in the interest of communicating as best we can. If you are of the same mind, join my rebel cause. All I ask is that you do so consistently.

Update

I learned recently that many papers and the AP style guide prescribe spaces around the endash. I’m relieved to learn the insurrection is afoot.