I Love the Em Dash–Too Bad If AI Does Too

I Love the Em Dash–Too Bad If AI Does Too(thewalrus.ca)

11 points by SegfaultSeagull 54 days ago | 8 comments

necovek 54 days ago |

I concur — having added it as a third level symbol (AltGr + dash for em-dash, AltGr + Shift + dash for en-dash) to a default layout for Linux in early 2000s, it has become my signature of sorts.

If I am to be called out as an LLM, at least I can lay a claim I've been one for 20 years!

I do eschew one tradition surrounding it — the one of using no spaces around it — despite recommendations of different Manuals of Style and typographic norms. It simply looks better with more breathing room.

1propionyl 54 days ago | |

Would you put spaces around parentheses?

It would look ( to most people ) very strange.

treetalker 54 days ago | | |

You know , I have to disagree with you there(but just this time)and I respect your opinion nevertheless .

necovek 53 days ago | | |

The most dominant style guide is The Chicago Manual of Style, which recommends against spaces around em dashes, but there is an AP style guide which actually does recommend spaces!

Em-dashes are not the same thing as parenthesis even if they are used in similar circumstances, and as a sibling comment recognized well, you'd still put spaces outside the parenthesis —but this would be terrible with em-dashes— wouldn't you agree?

This is really a style issue, and it mostly depends on what "school" you subscribe to.

bodhiJhawken 54 days ago |

It’s a sad fact, but any writing i see with an Em Dash, I automatically assume was written by AI.

This caused an argument with my partner recently as she’s an avid Em Dash user… you can see where this is going.

fragmede 54 days ago |

Use an en-dash instead. – is slightly shorter than — so in–between words of—a–similar nature, you can look stylishly not–a–robot.

blakewatson 54 days ago | |

The en-dash is for ranges. https://practicaltypography.com/hyphens-and-dashes.html

kimixa 54 days ago | | |

Or British English.

The Oxford style guide page 18 https://www.ox.ac.uk/public-affairs/style-guide

> m-dash (—)

> Do not use; use an n-dash instead.

> n-dash (–)

> Use in a pair in place of round brackets or commas, surrounded by spaces.

I feel a number of people online started using something like the "British style", as an ascii hyphen is closer to an n-dash than an m-dash in width. And then without spaces either side looks very squished.