Cat’s got your tongue? Try an em dash.

The em dash is a horizontal piece of unrestricted, unrequired punctuation. A simple line the length of the capital letter “M” separates clauses—“to dash” originates from “to blow” or “to break.” The dash can replace nearly any other form of punctuation because the duration of its pause can be whatever one makes of it. The “doppelgänger” of punctuation (O’Fallon), it is the kitchen gadget that does a dozen tasks, all of which can be done with bare hands, yet is used for everything. If only one form of punctuation was allowed, it would by all means have to be the ever-versatile em dash.

An em dash serves two roles: aside and emphasis. Two dashes on either side of a parenthetical phrase set the phrase apart from the rest of the sentence, but still draw attention to the words. “[Parentheses] half-remove the intruding aside, half-suppress it; while the dashes warmly welcome it in, with open arms.” A solitary dash before a sentence’s final clause makes a point—a call to action, the revelation of a truth, humor, or shock. “‘Wait for it,’ the single dash seems to whisper” (Truss).

Despite all its glory, the em dash often isn’t properly taught and is relatively inaccessible on a keyboard. This leads many novice writers to use the shorter en dash, hyphen, or two hyphens to serve the em dash’s function in a sentence. Locate a handwritten note that includes any linear dash to separate thoughts. Chances are the mark is wider than the miniscule hyphen that is not meant to divide phrases, but to combine words. Compare the tone and visual impact of the following sentences:

“Using the hyphen in place of an em dash is almost elementary - it's the difference

of a 25-cent plastic ring and a 24-karat statement piece.”

“Using the hyphen in place of an em dash is almost elementary — it's the

difference of a 25-cent plastic ring and a 24-karat statement piece.”

The em dash knows what it is and what it wants; it stands its ground and asserts its dominance.

Writers of any genre can make use of the dash in their own unique way—to display their voice, their style, and their message. Nineteenth century rhetorician Samuel P. Newman wrote that one must “acquire a manner of writing to some extent, peculiarly his own, and which is to be the index to his modes of thinking — the development of his intellectual traits and feelings” (Newman). Especially in creative or casual texts, the dash reflects the tone of the author’s thoughts as he writes. Thoughts are a never-ending sentence of half-ideas and interrupted phrases—thus requiring their most accurate portrayal with use of the em dash.

More than any other form of punctuation, the dash is the strongest representation of the natural pauses, intonation, and trailed-off sentences of regular speech; it is the “most neutral way of separating one utterance from the next” (McCulloch). This calls for its use in modern methods of communication as well. “Disorganized thought is the mode of most email (and mobile phone) text communication, and the dash does an annoyingly good job in these contexts standing in for all other punctuation marks” (Truss). If texting is an extension of speech, which is an extension of thought, it’s only natural for digital communication to make use of the punctuation mark that best represents the trueness of thought.

Such is the case of 19th century poet Emily Dickinson—recognized for her use of the dash in her “intuitive and rhythmical” works (O’Fallon). Dickinson’s original handwritten poems contain marks of varying lengths and orientations, which scholars say is representative of her thought process. Many of these, however, have been altered or removed in translation and mechanic printing. But where “punctuation makes words sashay across the page [originality] is lost to us in conventional printing” (Smith).

Dickinson’s dashes are her primary form of punctuation—yet used inconsistently between her works. Along with capitalization and diction, each poem is given its own unique style, voice, and sense of motion. Placed most often at the end of each line, these marks touch both the visual and verbal senses, as such in her poem “I tie my Hat—I crease my Shawl”:

I have so much to do—

And yet—Existence—some way back—

Stopped—struck—my ticking—through— (lines 10–12)

The isolation of Dickinson’s words demonstrates her poetic process by interrupting the natural flow of a continuous strand of words. In her hesitations, “we feel Dickinson’s hand hovering over the page, considering her subject” and finding the best word through careful thought (O’Fallon). A writer’s voice and sense of self may be discovered in the use of an ambiguous dash—which then invites the reader to play an active part in understanding the words. The reader may never fully know Dickinson’s intended message, so he must punctuate the poem for himself, thus becoming a poet in himself (Smith).

Beyond mid-1800s poetry, modern-day writers of all genres still support the stylistic and syntactic value of the em dash. Writers and grammar nerds alike frequent social media to engage in discussions about written language. Author Daniel Torday initiated a Twitter thread on September 3 by expressing his unsolicited appreciation for the voice the em dash brings to writing: “It’s the only onomatopoeic punctuation. It physically makes your eye do what it wants your ear to hear” (@DanielTorday).

Torday’s original tweet garnered nearly 15,000 likes and sparked conversation among both defenders and opponents of the dash. User @CardozoThesis called it “merely an incontinent period,” which, in a way, it is. Not so much a period that doesn’t know when to stop, but a period that knows it is never time to stop. This is because, as @deirdremcglynn wrote, “it alone knows what's really going on and makes connections that no other could” —truly the most intelligent punctuation mark. And while @soronlin argued that “there is literally nothing that the em-dash does that can’t be done by some other punctuation,” @PattieMcCarthy wrote that “it's all anyone needs—” (@DanielTorday).

Used everywhere from essays and news to quotations and poetry, the em dash is the most versatile piece of punctuation. It is not strictly bound in purpose and by rules, as is the case for nearly every other punctuation mark. The em dash represents the natural flow of thought, gives the writer a voice, and asks the reader to interpret that voice. Next time you’re at a loss for words, take note of the significance of those hesitations. Don’t simplify the feeling with a period or comma, but rather let the thought reveal itself in its most authentic form.

Works Cited

@DanielTorday (Daniel Torday) et al. “There is no punctuation that can touch the em

dash. It’s is the switchblade of punctuation marks.” Twitter, 3 Sept. 2020, 9:02 p.m.,

twitter.com/DanielTorday/status/1301687088207855619?s=20

Dickinson, Emily. “I tie my Hat—I crease my Shawl.” Poets.org,

poets.org/poem/i-tie-my-hat-i-crease-my-shawl-443.

McCulloch, Gretchen. Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language,

Riverhead Books, 2019. EBSCOhost.

Newman, Samuel P. “Introduction.” A Practical System of Rhetoric, or the Principles and

Rules of Style, Inferred from Examples of Writing: to Which Is Added a Historical

Dissertation on English Style, 6th ed., Gould and Newman, 1836.

O’Fallon Price, Adam. “Regarding the Em Dash.” The Millions, 4 Jan. 2018,

themillions.com/2018/01/regarding-the-em-dash.html.

Smith, Martha Nell, 1953-. Rowing In Eden: Rereading Emily Dickinson. Austin: University

of Texas Press, 1992.

Truss, Lynne. Eats, Shoots & Leaves : the Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation. New

York:Gotham Books, 2004.