The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. A numeric character reference in hexadecimal format. Hence, 12/5/2010 means December 5, 2010, in American usage. âA dash is a mark of separation stronger than a comma, less formal than a colon, and more relaxed than parentheses. But other style guides might say something elseâso, unfortunately, there is no. Included marks are the period, comma, semi-colon, colon, question mark, exclamation point, quotation mark, parenthesis, and dash. The em dash is used to represent how the first speaker is being interrupted by the second. The en dash is approximately the length of the letter N, and the em dash the length of the letter M. A dash is a break in thought, from one focus to another. The term âem dashâ comes from the field of typographyâan âemâ is a width equivalent to the height of a given font. There is nothing wrong â informally at least â with using a dash after a question. The en dash is spaced so screen readers donât mistake an unspaced en for a hyphen. To insert an em dash in MS Word, you must: Type a word (donât put a space after it) Type two hyphens. There are also some other rules regarding what to do if the title includes a question mark, ellipsis, or a colon already. What â˝ When your sentence calls for a question mark and an exclamation mark, the interrobang is the punctuation mark you need. (I would even have removed to in that construction, so that the parallel starts at the verbs assume and become. This will insert the em dash symbol into your Word document. In informal writing, feet and inches are sometimes expressed as, for example, 5Ⲡ10âł (read: five feet and ten inches). I solved by this link. That being said, em dashes should not be used in place of hyphens or colons. Thus, an em dash in 9-point type is as long as the height of a. Em Dashes The em dash is the longest line among these marks of punctuation (â). Hereâs how to master the em-dash, exclamation point and question mark. Since code page 437 does not include the en dash character, any system using that code page will have to resort to a fallback mechanism to render the file names, such as a question mark. It is shorter than an em-dash and longer than a hyphen. There is no piece of punctuation that means pause. Just consider the following guidelines: ⢠Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. Uses of the Question Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Question Mark; Problems with Question Marks; Quiz: Problems with Question Marks; Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Quiz: Uses of the Exclamation Mark; Problems with Exclamation Marks; Quiz: Problems with Exclamation Marks; What Are Commas, Semicolons, and Colons; Uses of the Comma; Quiz: Uses of. In all uses of the en dash, you should be able to substitute the word âtoâ or âthroughâ for the dash. An em dash indicates that the dialogue stops abruptly and you would place the em dash inside the closing quotation marks. An em dash is a punctuation mark that can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. En Dash vs. The web's most comprehensive guide to American punctuation. He worked in his office-cum-dining room. The most common rule when using parenthetical phrases is to use the correct punctuation mark: commas, em dash, or a pair of parentheses. When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. In order to type an en dash on a Mac product, you can hold down the âOptionâ and â-â keys simultaneously and an en dash âââ should appear. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colonsâin each case to slightly different effect. Em Dashes. Dashes and hyphens. Select the Close button to close the Find and Replace dialog box (see figure 7). Wave dash ( ď˝) Sorted by: 58. d) Working 9-5 daily, and keeping up with homework is difficult. Use an em dash to join independent clauses. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. En-dash: An en-dash is wider than a hyphen but narrower than an em-dash. Type another word. The em-dash would indicate something like raising the eyebrows right at the end, or tilting the head down and looking up from under the eyebrows. Microsoft Word shows the em dash as soon you press enter after finishing the. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. â The slash is sometimes used to convey the same meaning. [4] 3. 2 Answers. Interjections can stand alone as minor sentences, punctuated with a period, exclamation point, or question mark. Em Dash (â) Indicate an interruption or an abrupt changeAnywhere formal typography appears, an en dash might pop up. The first is in pairsâdoing this right here can help you to segment a side piece of informationâor they can be used to break a sentence into a separate section nearer the end. If a sentence ends with quoted material, the period is placed inside the closing quotation mark, even if the period is not part of the original quotation. the question mark. Em Dash: Length: The em dash is the longest dash. When the dash is used, the change in the thought or sentence structure should be evident and distinct. That should explain it. Do not put a space before or after the dash. The em dash (â) is twice as long as the en. In the image below (1) is a hyphen, (2) is an en dash and (3) is the em dash. Interruptersâlike this right hereâare words, phrases, or clauses that break the flow of writing. fiscal year 2020â21. The closest thing I could find was this: Is it acceptable to place a dash after a question mark? An em dashâor dash for shortâis a straight, horizontal line positioned about halfway between the bottom and top of a lower-case letter. [Emphasis mine. . net web application. This is a common editing mark and has several uses, but its primary purpose is to separate clauses and huge parts of the sentence. Comments. These dashes differ not only in their length but also in the function they perform in a sentence. âWhat space?â. Nevertheless, you will have to use. The em dash triggers readersâ brains to insert a slightly longer pause, which can aid in reading comprehension. First, one is longer: The em dash (â) â which is like two hyphens joined together. Punctuation Marks Wheel : This 2-page print-out makes a punctuation marks wheel; it consists of a base page together with a wheel that spins around. Or. Joined: May 14, 2009. It then gives two examples, the second of them demonstrating that "the period . CORRECT: The score right now is 3â1. Em dashes are the longest of the common dashes (I wonât be covering 2-em and 3-em dashes in this article) and are so named because they are the width of the letter âm. The en dash, which is slightly shorter, and the em dash, which is the one you can see in the previous paragraph. 1. A parenthesis set off by dashes (or commas) rather than parentheses is still a parenthesis. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. To insert an interjection in the middle of a sentence, place one em dash on both sides of the interjected phrase. â Question Mark. Mabel tried, despite her. In the second example below, an em dash is more common than a colon, though the use of a colon is nevertheless correct. A Hebrew period in a traditional serif face usually looks like a tiny tilted square (a diamond; ). 3. TWO-EM DASH U+2E3A: Pd, dash Common ⸝ THREE-EM DASH U+2E3B: Pd, dash Common âš DOUBLE HYPHEN U+2E40: Pd, dash Common ă WAVE DASH U+301C: Pd, dash Common ă° WAVY DASH. The following example from Toni Morrisonâs Beloved shows both uses: âNothing bad can happen to her. On a Windows-based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the Alt key and typing 0151. Wagon and waggon are different spellings of the same word meaning, among other things, a sturdy four-wheeled vehicle for transporting things. To format an em dash in Word, type two hyphens, with no spaces, between the wordsâthe dash will automatically form as you continue typing. Treat etc. Minus Sign: â. British authors often prefer to use an en-dash ( â ) with spaces on either side rather than the em. The main use of em dashes is to set off extra information in a sentence. On cell phones running Androidâs Gboard or iOS operating systems, press and hold the hyphen on the onscreen keyboard. â. â Originally, typewriters had monospaced fonts (skinny letters and fat letters. If the interruption occurs at the. In the native Mac word processor, Text Edit, youâll have access to the. In Arabic, which is also written from right. The Oxford Manual of Style once stated, âIf you take hyphens seriously, you will surely go mad. To properly use the em dash, spaces should not be placed around it unless the text is being italicized. In something called an appositiveâa phrase that provides more informationâyou can use an em dash instead. The hyphen is used to connect words, such as in compound adjectives or to divide words at the end of a line. If you're including terminal punctuation (period, question mark, exclamation mark), your speaker's sentence isn't being interrupted, so you wouldn't use em dashes at all. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. Alternatively, pairs of em dashes are used to mark off additionalAn en-dash is also used in numerical series as in from tenâtwenty pieces. As a reminder, scare quotes are used to show when a phrase is being used in an ironic or nonstandard wayâor perhaps itâs not a. Trademark ⢠: ALT 0153;There are three types of dashes in writing used to convey different ideas in an engaging way. If you need to indicate that someone pauses in speech, say "John paused". Hyphen. Paréntesis (Parentheses) 10. 4. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. Smart punctuation is an iOS feature that automatically. In almost every instance, you should place the footnote marker after the punctuation. the first word after a colon, em dash, or end punctuation in a heading. [âŚ] All water from the streams; dead birds were found In wells a hundred feet below the ground Such was the season when the flower bloomed. In the "Text" tab you will find the list of substitutions. Incorrect. Em dashes can replace ellipses to show an abrupt break in a conversation. Em Dashes The em dash is the longest line among these marks of punctuation (â). They are: the period, question mark, exclamation point, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, brackets, braces, parentheses, apostrophe, quotation mark, and ellipsis. When using an em dash, it is important to consider the spacing around it. To type an en dash, press Option + hyphen (-) To type an em dash on keyboard, press Shift + Option + hyphen (-) The only problem is that to use. 6 Dash [UEB §7. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). 1. It probably wouldnât get away with trying to impersonate a question mark or an exclamation point, but it can stand in for. AP refers to these simply as dashes and requires a space on either side. The term âem dashâ comes from the field of typographyâan âemâ is a width equivalent to the height of a given font. Think of them as shouting, speaking, and whispering. The em dash suggests an instantaneous jump from one part to the other, as if the two parts are both happening at the same time. Nope, no need for spaces! In US English, there should only be a space before an em dash if itâs at the start of a sentence and after an em dash if itâs at the end of a sentence. There are enough exceptions to this general rule, however, to warrant the following chart, which shows nearly all of the scenarios you are likely to face. | Grammar The em dash performs a versatile function to help separate certain words from the rest of a sentence. There are two kinds of dashes, the en dash, and the em dash (long dash). The em dashes are used here to indicate that the information within them is rather shocking. Look at my use of em dashes in this post, aside from the previous sentence. However, it depends on the usage and meaning. 2. However, the semicolon, colon, dash, question mark, and exclamation point fall outside of the quotation marks (unless, of course, the quoted material has internal punctuation of its own). " I know you can replace em dashes with — and n-dashes with – (which should be done on the input side of your database); I don't know what the correct replacement for the smart quotes would be. The word-processing program may form this automatically when two hyphens are typed together. parentheses. Example. Comillas españolas (Angle Quotes) and Comillas inglesas (Quotation Marks) Where to Practice Using Spanish Punctuation; Find and Correct the Mistakes in the Following. When a quotation is presented as a single sentence made up of material from two or more original sentences, ellipses should be used for all omitted segments. Use em-dash for denoting a break or a clarification within a sentence: âThree authorsâJohn Grisham, Danielle Steele, John Updikeâhave between them written eighty-nine books. It depends on one thing: trust. Technically, the mark designating feet is a prime; the mark designating inches is a double prime. When print spacing or font types make it difficult to determine the length of the line, remember that hyphens join words and word parts together and dashes separate thoughts or ideas. Hyphen A handy guide full of rules and examples so you can use the hyphen with confidence. Itâs not interchangeable with other types of dashes. )This would usually be at the end of a phrase or sentence, which means it will be next to a piece of punctuation. The Latin preposition cum means âcombined with,â âalso used as,â or âalong with being. The em dash helps separate the parts of a sentence. Example em dashes:Fun fact: The en dash is called the en rule in British English, and the em dash is called the em rule. en-dash â Midsized hyphen (â) named en-dash because the dash historically is the length of a lowercase m. This eliminates option B. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. If you want more design. JAWS is the most likely of the screen readers to read these kinds of punctuation marks. Press the Spacebar. A dash is used to separate part of a sentence and indicate a break. Otherwise, confusion rather than clarity is likely. b) The Kingdom of Bahrain has a settled well-educated population. An em-dash can be used alone, as in this example from the online The Punctuation Guide: After months of deliberation, the jurors reached a unanimous verdictâguilty. Donât overthink itâlet intuition guide you. Dashes are generally more abrupt and can signify a rapid change of topic. INCORRECT: The score right now is 3 â 1. m. The em dash is the chameleon of punctuation marks. Em dashes can be used in the following ways: 1. If the parentheses include an exclamation or question mark: Our road trip to Florida â we love to drive to see all the sights on the way! â took three days to. Using Em Dashes (â) and Em Dashes (â) There are two different kinds of dashes: (1) en dashes and (2) em dashes. That said, letâs look at the two dashes and what makes them different. Note: An en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen. 6. An em dash can also mark dialogue, signify an interruption, indicate a sudden break in thought, and introduce a list. Hold down. Use to indicate duration or continuing or inclusive numbers such as dates, times or reference numbers, use an en-dash (a slightly. If you want to make your writing easier to read and generally look more professional, you should know what. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colonsâ âin each case to slightly different effect. Command (â) + M. Dashes and hyphens arenât the same thing. The en dash (â) is one-half the width of an em. 2] In braille, a dash is represented by dots 6, 36 (,-). For a fuller understanding of the em dash, I quote the CMOS Online in full:7. is omitted in deference to the question mark". Comma. Em dash: â. Two hyphens typed together form a dash: (--). College communications rarely require the formal four-point ellipsis. g. The correct use of em-dashes and ellipses. It can also be used to indicate each personâs speech in a dialogue. It doesn't. The em dash is primarily used to emphasize or add additional information to a. Who doesnât like dashes as emphasis techniques? Just consider the following guidelines: ⢠Note that em-dashes are more emphatic than commas. Capitalize only the following words: the first word of the title or heading. . Like the em dash, the en dash is typically available on your word processorâs symbol map, or it may even be inserted automatically by your word processor when you type inclusive numbers or dates with a hyphen between them. The correct use of question and exclamation marks. There are two common types of dashes. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151. Dashes are used in the following five ways: To show in ranges for numbers or dates (e. The difference between a parenthetical comment using parentheses, and one using em dashes, is probably a matter of style. )The dash (â) is a mark of punctuation used to set off a word or phrase after an independent clause or a parenthetical remark (words, phrases, or clauses that interrupt a sentence). However, in this case also why is there an em-dash anyways? If the exclamation or question is full and complete then why is there an "abrupt break in speech. If you use it in academic writing, you might look unsure of yourself. The employeeâhoping to go home earlyârushed her tasks. Youâve probably heard of hyphens and em dashes, but what about en dashes? Learn what they are and how to use them with this helpful article. Em Dash vs. There are three options: Period. An en dash is denoted as (â) Em dashes are longer than hyphens, but shorter than em dashes. Here, the em dash creates a break and adds emphasis. quotation mark. đ Em dash Mac: hold down the option + shift + the hyphen keys and viola! đ Em dash Word: tap the minus sign twice and continue writing. g. MLA doesn't touch on more than 2 subtitles; however, there is a syntax for a work with more than one title which makes use of ; or, as the delimiter, so perhaps stay away from using semicolons. " A Word, Please: A look at the em dash, the hyphen and their rarely seen cousin, the. That's it! Now, your ugly text messages at least won't break code or URLs. 89: "In modern usage, a question mark or an exclamation pointâbut never a comma, a colon, or a semicolonâmay. Then, after you press the space bar after the word after the dash, most word processing programs will turn those two little hyphensââinto an em dashâlike so. The presidentâs speech both began and ended with the word âfreedom. FWIW, my product_codes that have a dash show as a dash (hex 2D). The question mark can be followed with a dash where necessary: He leftâwould you believe it?âimmediately after the ball. The âslightly differentâ part is, to me, the em dashâs appeal summarized. Looking at the other commend where u/xlrod has a fix; what you have instead is char 65533 or - not a question mark, but a placeholder Unicode "I dunno what this is" character - that suggests your export wasn't right, and has mangled some characters. When Your Punctuation Says It All (!) 364. ] Thereâs even more explanation: If the break belongs to the surrounding sentence rather than to the quoted material, the em dashes must appear outside the quotation marks. Em-dashes. When the dash is used, the change in the thought or sentence structure should be evident and distinct. Use em dashes instead of commas and parentheses if you want to make information stand out. In your question you took U+002D (CHR(45)) which is in ASCII - for sure this does make any problem. The hex number is case-insensitive,. Signo de exclamación (Exclamation Point) 8. Example: She gave him her answerâNo! Exclamation Mark (!) An exclamation mark is used to show emphasis. F. If you prefer, you can configure your keyboard in Windows to accept Unicode codepoint numbers, instead of "traditional". The en-dash is commonly used to show range as in dates (e. An em dash is the width of the letter "m" in the font and type size being used, and should never be used in place of an en dash or hyphen. Another way to create them is to press and hold Alt and type 0151 on a Windows device or select Option, Shift, and the hyphen key ( â) on a Mac. It should be noted that dashes are almost never required by the rules of grammar and punctuation. How to Create Em Dashes and En Dashes: Em dash (â) Ctrl+Alt+minus (far. em. Em Dash: â. Dashes are used to separate groups of words, not to separate parts of words like a hyphen does. But it is necessary first to make the difference between a hyphen, and an em dash vs en dash. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. An em dash (â) is used to mark an interruption, as mentioned above (âWhat theââ), or material set off parenthetically from the main pointâlike this. The shorter en dash (â) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning âtoâ in phrases like âDoverâCalais crossing. Picture the em dash the same width as the letter âMâ and the en dash the same width as the letter âN. On a Mac. ⢠Dashes are often used to introduce an abrupt change of thought, while parentheses add information. Consider the examples below:3. The final, foolproof way to type an em dash in Word is to go to the. And Words into Type, third edition (1974), without referring explicitly to dashes, also agrees: Direct questions. Go to the system preferences and choose "Language & Text". Em-dashes. Although these punctuation marks look similar at a glance, they are actually distinct punctuation marks with specific intended uses and with distinct unicode character values. It indicates that the width of a printed matter is equal to its point size or height. Question mark. 7 p. (I usually just replace all curly single quotes with ' and all curly. 5. It is the doppelgänger of the. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. Alternatively, pairs of em dashes are used to mark off additionalMy question is the same as keymap swap underscore and dash, but for Windows instead of Linux. Formally, this job is reserved for the em dash, but there is some leniency in use depending on the publisher. Collingwood as Mr. There are two types of dash. The other everyday use for em dashesâthe one I use mostâis to mark a break in thought within a sentence. Etc. First, there are two kinds of dashes, called en dashes and em dashes. As an outcome those characters are generated in the excel as shown below, which contains a kind of question mark. Dashes create urgency. Punctuation Em-dash before question mark. The exclamation point and question mark denote strong emotion or a question, respectively. There is one piece of good news related to this subject, though. ) The question mark can be used to indicate editorial uncertainty, either in parentheses or in brackets. DASHES. 2. It has two main functions. Below is a list of punctuation marks written in English; translate each term into French. The en dash is a punctuation mark that is slightly longer than a hyphen (-) but shorter than an em dash (â). Look at how the entire sentence uses different punctuation marks. Em dashes join onto the words before and afterâlike this. (An em dash, or long dash, is used: in pairs, to mark off information or ideas that are not essential to an. They can add more information to a sentence making it clearer and easier for the listener to imagine what is being described in detail. (Learn more about the difference between a. Many programs also automatically create an em dash when you type two single hyphens together. Itâs equal to the specific point size in any given typeface. The 2010â ââ 2011 season was our best yet. Examples:A Quick Guide to Punctuation. In Word, youâll hold down Shift+ Option+minus rather than the Ctrl+Alt+minus mentioned above. Write an en dash. â this would be the correct answer because the question is asked within the quotation marks so the question mark must appear here too. Em dash (â) Twice as long as the en dash, the em dash can be used in place of a comma, parenthesis, or colon to enhance readability or emphasize the conclusion of a sentence. Enter the replacement character in the Replace with text box (see figure 5). This is more of a life lesson rather than a question of if an em dash is formal or informal. Francisco Santa Cruz, Strategic Communication â Advertising and Public Relations major with a minor in Mathematics; Em dash. Two em dashes can be used to indicate missing portions of a word, whether unknown or intentionally omitted. The report covers the period 1998â1999. 5. The dash ( â ), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. , I need 1 thing â money. Use dashes and ellipses to cut sentences off. When you type the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, no spaces should appear on either side of the punctuation mark. However, I can't recall an em dash being used according to your first case in modern publishing. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. It may be used in place of commas, a semicolon, a colon, or parentheses. In British usage, we use only a single hyphen to. But instead of eating the period, the em dash will completely bail when theyâre about to meet up. Proper use of punctuation marks can greatly enhance the readability and effectiveness of written communication. A dash can usually be distinguished from a hyphen in print by its greater length. NOTE: An em dash is not a hyphen. In Spanish, the en-dash is not widely used although, due to English influence, its use has become rather common nowadays. e. It thus performs many of the same functions as commas, parentheses, and colons, but with a bit more dramaâa âwait for itâ tension that tends to lend emphasis to whatever it introduces. Like commas and parentheses, em dashes often set off descriptive or parenthetical information. For Windows, press Ctrl+Alt +Minus (-) or Alt+0151. " Wikipedia has a descent overview on dashes, especially noting the differnet ways to reflect either and em-dash or an en-dash. Insert em Dash. The em dash is a versatile mark used to define, explain, and insert material. Original text in html page Click the Edit button to change a field's label, width and type-ahead options Replace text in html page Click the Edit button to change a. Use a dash instead of a comma when you want to strongly set off an idea. 2. The colon in Spanish is used for enumeration, explanation, or quotes, just like in English. â8:30 p. Em dashes can be used similarly to parentheses and commas, however, they are usually considered. They are useful for emotionally-loaded dialogue interruption, because emotions act quickly on the brain. E. 6. As noted, MS Word and other word processors substitute an em dash for two hyphens, whereas TeX uses three hyphens. Improve this answer. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. In sentence case, lowercase most words in a title or heading. The translation being made in our system is from a small subset of characaters to an upside-down question mark. Most likely it's an en dash or em dash rather than a real hyphen or minus symbol. If the list follows the independent clause, it is best to use a colon instead. ". QUESTION MARK U+003F: Po, other Common @ COMMERCIAL AT U+0040: Po, other Common REVERSE SOLIDUS U+005C: Po,. 47 Punctuation with em dash. The most flexible and versatile punctuation markâthe Em Dash. The text won't look as good, but realistically, most people won't notice. However, if the punctuation mark is a dash (i. Windows. Dashes. Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. Or simply type two hyphens one after the other, type the word that is supposed to appear after the em dash, and press Spaceâthe hyphens magically turn into an em dash. And be careful to not mix different punctuation marks. And you wouldn't have to do any kind of terminal punctuation, no need for a period or a question mark or an exclamation point. To create the em dash on a Macintosh-based system, hold down the Shift and Option keys and press. As such, it should not be followed by a period or question mark. I also tried powertoys keyboard manager Remap Shortcut, but it. m. Authors can easily remember the difference. apostrophe. En dashes are used to indicate relationships or interactions and ranges. An en dash is. Em dashes can be used to. Thanks very much for your reply, Jennifer. The em dash, or long dash, is the only punctuation mark on a keyboard that. For more ALT codes for various signs and symbols, see ALT Codes for Miscellaneous Symbols. Share. By and large, an em dash serves to insert a break in your thought without ending your thought entirely. nouns followed by numerals or letters. 1. 1. Windows. Quotation marks may be used to indicate that the. Examples: James opened the door and was surprised to see her. " Until some more people post on this I'd take my post with a grain of salt. Remember to: Use a colon to emphasize dialogue, show titles and time, or introduce a list. How to use en dashes. Technically, the mark designating feet is a prime; the mark designating inches is a double prime. Discussion in 'Word Mechanics' started by Bone2pick, Dec 12, 2022. â. 2 - En dashes are shorter than em dashes. This is largely the result of the many different ways the comma is used. ârespondió Carlos. âWhat are you talking aboutâwait, Johnny said it was Maria!â. Ellipsis (âŚ) [edit | edit source] A sequence of three dots is known as an ellipsis, which is commonly used to indicate omitted text. A single em dash character or a tilde may also be used. style guides frequently recommend using em dashes for the purposes above, while using en dashes for ranges, etc. Mark said: âI am confused if I should finish them with one of the final stop punctuation marks (when, as I read, 1- every sentence must be finished by an appropriate punctuation mark [the final stop], and 2- neither the dash nor the ellipsis are the final stop punctuation marks). This technique is best suited for creative or informal writing. An alternative way of displaying speech is via the em dash. It was first.