Punctuation: "M dash"

[Tom]

Hi

I have seen Misater Micawber using the term M dash etc.

I really could not find it in my Punctuation Book. Could you please tell me how many kinds of dashes are there in punctuation? When are they used?

Yours

Tom

[Alan]

Hi Tom,

Have a look at this:

How to use the dash

The dash has only one major use:

to use in pairs to separate a strong interruption from the rest of the sentence (a strong interruption, as opposed to a weak interruption, is one which forcefully disrupts the flow of the sentence and, as such, it usually contains a verb rather simply being a phrase) [All nations desire economic growth - some even achieve it - but it is easier said than done.]
Note: only one dash is used if the strong interruption comes at the beginning or the end of the sentence. [We earnestly desire peace for all nations of the world - and we will work hard for it.]

There is one minor use of the dash:

to add emphasis or drama [He said that he would go - and he did.]

If you’re interested in punctuation, I strongly recommend a book explaining it in a humorous way:

EATS SHOOTS AND LEAVES BY LYNNE TRUSS PUBLISHED BY PROFILE BOOKS LTD 2003 ISBN861976127

Alan

[Tom]

Thank you a lot, Alan !

Tom

[Jamie_K]

@Tom

I have seen Misater Micawber using the term M dash etc.

I really could not find it in my Punctuation Book. Could you please tell me how many kinds of dashes are there in punctuation? When are they used?

These dashes are usually called “en” and “em” dashes, which may be why you can’t find them in your book under N and M dash.

Dashes have more uses than Alan mentioned. You can find them explained here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dash

[Tom]

Thank you a lot, Jamie, for satisfying my curiosity

Could you please use each dash in one sentence, i.e en and em?

I would be thankful.

Tom

[Jamie_K]

@Tom

Could you please use each dash in one sentence, i.e en and em?

The Wikipedia article shows plenty of examples, as do other articles on the web. (Use “em en dash” as a search phrase.) I don’t think the dashes will come through in my posting, because this site is too Microsofty and doesn’t accept non-ASCII characters from my computer.