posted
I use the manuscript standard for em dashes of a double hyphen; e.g. "--". Unfortunately Word feels free to stick a line break before or after any hyphen, so I get something ugly like the following:
code:
...he opened the door--discretely, of course- -and slipped inside...
Does anyone know how to keep Word from sticking the line break right in the middle of my em dash?
posted
I just use space - one hyphen - space, and Open Office and Word both turn it into a dash automatically. Of course, I notice it didn't work here, so feel free to forget I said that.
I also only put one space at the end of sentences, because I was educated by a friend that if you put two spaces, sometimes the computer will split the two spaces at the end of a line, and you'll end up with a blank space at the end of the next line. It just strikes me as a rule that hasn't changed to keep up with computers yet.
[This message has been edited by debhoag (edited October 30, 2008).]
posted
In manuscript format, there are supposed to be two dashes.
A line break is a double spacing of paragraphs, not moving to the next line. Line breaks (some people incorrectly call them chapter breaks) are denoted by a "#" in the middle of an empty line. Chapter breaks are three "# # #" and the rest of the page blank.
[This message has been edited by InarticulateBabbler (edited October 31, 2008).]
posted
I've heard ### can be used as a line break also. I don't use any symbol for a chapter break, except for typing "Chapter xxx"
Posts: 299 | Registered: Oct 2008
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posted
Well, apparently in some long-forgotten corner of space time, line break used to refer to the break that occurred on a page at the end of a line. When we aliens used to type on typewriters (a Federation technology not known on Earth), live beings decided where the end of the line OF TEXT hit at. However, utilizing programs like Mircosoft Word and Open Office punts the decision about where the line OF TEXT ends to the computer. The computer believes that a natural break exists between two spaces, and will sometimes end the line OF TEXT with one space, then start the next line OF TEXT with the second space. I was told in 1982 not to use double spaces at the end of sentences when typing on a computer, as that would screw up the print-out. So there, Earthlings. Where's Extrinsic when I need him? and, Happy Halloween
Posts: 1304 | Registered: May 2007
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posted
There should be no spaces before or after an em dash. If formatted as an em dash your program will not break it.
For Mac users it's option shift hyphen, with no spaces.
I believe the default for Word is that two consecutive hyphens without spaces on either side will reformat to an em dash. However, it's not good to rely on autoformatting because it's not necessarily consistent--sometimes it doesn't happen.
To type a non-breaking hyphen press CTRL+SHIFT+HYPHEN.
That does the trick, thanks! It would be nice if I could get Word to use non-breaking hyphens by default, but this is where search-replace can be my friend.
posted
If you must, go to tools and click on Autocorrect Options, then Auto Format as you type and click the box next to the "replace [--] with [—]". Then, when you type a word--another word and space, it'll turn into: Word—another word—back to the sentence.
Posts: 3687 | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
Another way to insert an em dash, on a PC, is to use ASCII characters. Press down the ALT key, and while holding it down use the number pad to type 0151: —.(not the numbers above the letters, but the numbers to the right side). ALT-0149 will give you a bullet: •.
The special characters you insert while in Word may, or may not, hold up if the text is transfered to another format (TXT, HTML, etc.) The ASCII characters you insert usually hold up, depending on the font you use (font also affects the WORD special characters.)
quote: If you must, go to tools and click on Autocorrect Options, then Auto Format as you type and click the box next to the "replace [--] with [—]". Then, when you type a word--another word and space, it'll turn into: Word—another word—back to the sentence.
I've read manuscript formatting guidelines that say they don't like the em-dash and smart quotes (quotes that are different on opening and closing) so I use double hyphens and dumb quotes.
I've recorded a pair of macros that use the autocorrect options to switch between "Dumb" (double hyphen and dumb quotes) to "Smart" (em-dash and smart quotes) so that I can use Dumb mode for manuscripts that will eventually go to publishers, and Smart mode for techical reports that won't.
But you can't set the Auto format to replace a pair of hyphens with a non-breaking pair :-(
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