Constant Content

I'm new here, having read as much as I can about guidelines and conventions, and I have a question about the m-dash. I tend to see 3 hyphens better than 2 in a text-based, unformatted Web article.

What's the style guideline for a plain-text m-dash, and for the n-dash?

Are you using Word?

In text, I usually use a space-hyphen-space for an em dash. Two hyphens without spaces surrounding them is also acceptable.

Thanks for asking. This is an exciting topic for me.

I know. I need to get out more.

Ed

Well, I guess since I'm asking about text-only formatting, I'm thinking along the lines of NotePad.

Ed - if dashes are exciting for you, I can only imagine how you feel about ampersands.

Hyphens and dashes are so often misused. I am excited someone is asking how to use them correctly. Or that anyone wants to use them correctly at all!

Did you know that an m-dash is based on the width of an uppercase M? And that an n-dash is based on the width of an uppercase N?

Em dashes, or m-dashes are really useful. While they shouldn't be overused, I do cringe when someone used a comma where an em dash would be more appropriate.

Ed

Well Gosh!...if dashes are exciting, then I may's well bring up another, related issue.

Reading the submit guidelines, I'd thought I'd just use the HTML document form. With a <DIV> surrounding the article to turn it into sans serif font, there'd be no formatting codes other than <P> and the Headings.

If so, I could use the &mdash; and be done with it. However; I did see that HTML submissions should contain NO formatting. That seems contradictory to the request for two hard returns between paragraphs. The <P> tag includes extra below-space.

All in all, it's bit confusing. Basic HTML format using a single CSS tag with inline styling (which easily could be bypassed by the eventual buyer) would make for a nicely formatted article. Not to mention making it easy on the editorial eyes, what with left and right margins, font size control, and simple heading formats. The <DIV> could simply be deleted, and return the entire article to total simplicity--except for having only 1 return between paragraphs.

Horror! From what you're saying, Ed, I think I've been displaying the em dash incorrectly. I type is as two hyphens together surrounded by a space either side, as in

...the end -- only it's not.

Should I be displaying it as...

...the end--only it's not.

Or

...the end - only it's not?

The last example is how I always used to type the dash but I thought that for web content that wasn't right.

Clarification would be very helpful.

Many thanks.

Jane

I am ashamed to admit that this one is over my head!

Ed

Okay, what if I submit an example article with this HTML basic nothing code? I write all the content for our site, and I know exactly how much of a pain it is to have to remove extraneous code. On the other hand, my proposition makes it a breeze to simply copy and paste into any Web site area.

When I first was doing Web content, I had no clue. People told me plain text was the best. Then I sort of had to learn HTML for economic reasons. I now have a very clear understanding of the end-user needs.

This proposed use of the <DIV> tag places one pair of tags before and after the entire content. By deleting them, the content reverts to raw HTML--excepting the <P> and <H?> tags. There are no tables, no inline styles, no nuthin' (to use a technical term).

If I submit a first article in this format, would I be able to resubmit it if it ends up being problematic?

I can help, I think.

There should be no spaces preceding or following an em-dash or an en-dash.

This is why I write my articles in Word. If you enter two consecutive hyphens directly after a word, without a space, Word will change your two hyphens to an em-dash, both before and after the phrase that is set off. Also, one can click on Insert, then Symbol, then Special Characters, and there they are. If I had to go through what CLandes described, I would be slinging burgers somewhere instead of writing.

Yes, but if I were a Web developer and had to routinely remove the tons and tons of extra code MS Word inserts when you 'Save A' HTML, I'd shoot myself in the head!

Thanks, Grouchy. I must say that I think the dash looks better without the spaces either side, but I'm sure I started using the two hypens with space either side because I read somewhere that that was how it should be displayed for web content. Maybe I just dreamed it...

Oh no, not you too. Ed gets excited about them, you dream about them.

This calls for a muffin (spelled c-h-o-c-o-l-a-t-e c-a-k-e)!