How do you use dashes and parentheses?

How do you use dashes and parentheses?

Dashes and parentheses indicate an aside to the point you are making in your sentence. Although sometimes considered interchangeable, each serves a specific purpose in your writing. Dashes interrupt your writing to insert an interjection or pause, while parentheses gently add information to your point.

What is an M Dash?

The em dash is an incredibly versatile punctuation mark that can be used instead of parentheses, commas, colons, or quotation marks in a sentence.

What is a 2 em dash?

Long dashes should be used sparingly; commas, colons, or parentheses are often more appropriate. Other punctuation marks should not normally be used before or after a dash. A very long dash (——), known as a 2-em dash, is used to indicate ‘ditto’ in bibliographies and similar lists: Marlowe, Christopher, Edward II.

What are the three types of dashes?

There are actually three different types of dashes: the em-dash, the en-dash, and the 3-em dash.

How do I make a 3 em dash in Word?

Create a 3-em dash by entering the em dash three times or six hyphens. You can find the em dash in the symbol drop-down menu in Microsoft Word. Alternatively, press CTRL + ALT + minus key on the numeric keypad, three times. If you’re using the proper font (Times New Roman 12), the three dashes will make a solid line.

How do you apply shading in Word?

Select the word or paragraph that you want to apply shading to. On the Home tab, in the Paragraph group, click the arrow next to Shading. Under Theme Colors, click the color that you want to use to shade your selection.

Why is there shading behind my text in Word?

Scroll down to the “Show document content” section and select an option from the “Field shading” drop-down list. The default option is “When selected”, which means that a field is shaded when you place the cursor anywhere in that field.