Punctuation Questions Medium
An em dash is a punctuation mark that is used to indicate a sudden break or interruption in a sentence. It can be used in several ways:
1. To indicate an abrupt change in thought or topic:
Example: I was about to leave the house when—wait, did I forget to turn off the stove?
2. To set off a parenthetical phrase or additional information:
Example: The concert—featuring my favorite band—was absolutely amazing.
3. To emphasize a particular word or phrase:
Example: The weather was beautiful—perfect for a picnic in the park.
4. To show a trailing off or unfinished thought:
Example: I just can't believe she would say something like that—well, never mind.
When using an em dash, there should be no spaces before or after it. It is longer than a hyphen and typically created by typing two hyphens (--), which are then automatically converted into an em dash by word processing software.