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Hello!
I am writing a review, and I am unsure if I should count this as an error: em-dashes (or long dashes) should have no spaces before or after, according to the Oxford Dictionary, but looking it up online I did find some discordant opinions about it. What do you think?
I would be sorry to mark as an error something that it is not.

marba wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 08:52 Hello!
I am writing a review, and I am unsure if I should count this as an error: em-dashes (or long dashes) should have no spaces before or after, according to the Oxford Dictionary, but looking it up online I did find some discordant opinions about it. What do you think?
I would be sorry to mark as an error something that it is not.

Hi!
You're right that most style guides recommend having no spaces before or after an em dash; however, the AP style allows for a space on either side. This link discusses it further: https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html.

Since OBC does not enforce a specific style guide (for books or reviews), this should not be marked as an error.

MsH2k wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 12:46

marba wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 08:52 Hello!
I am writing a review, and I am unsure if I should count this as an error: em-dashes (or long dashes) should have no spaces before or after, according to the Oxford Dictionary, but looking it up online I did find some discordant opinions about it. What do you think?
I would be sorry to mark as an error something that it is not.

Hi!
You're right that most style guides recommend having no spaces before or after an em dash; however, the AP style allows for a space on either side. This link discusses it further: https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html.

Since OBC does not enforce a specific style guide (for books or reviews), this should not be marked as an error.

Thank you so much for your reply! It was really helpful

Excuse me, but do you know how I can create an em dash? I don't see it on my keyboard. I thought the hyphen turns into one when I leave a space before it - but no. I just got dinged on a review because my em dashes came out as hyphens.

Oshuare Aregbeyen wrote: ↑11 Dec 2021, 16:38 Excuse me, but do you know how I can create an em dash? I don't see it on my keyboard. I thought the hyphen turns into one when I leave a space before it - but no. I just got dinged on a review because my em dashes came out as hyphens.

Are you using windows or Mac? Shortcuts are different for both.

This might help: https://www.techtoolsforwriters.com/how ... n-em-dash/

Oshuare Aregbeyen wrote: ↑11 Dec 2021, 16:38 Excuse me, but do you know how I can create an em dash? I don't see it on my keyboard. I thought the hyphen turns into one when I leave a space before it - but no. I just got dinged on a review because my em dashes came out as hyphens.

If you are using an phone, long-pressing the hyphen should bring both the em and en-dashes.

Are you using windows or Mac? Shortcuts are different for both.

Windows.

If you are using an phone, long-pressing the hyphen should bring both the em and en-dashes.

People do these things on their phones?!

shravsi wrote: ↑23 Dec 2021, 23:58 This might help: https//www.techtoolsforwriters/how-to-create-an-em-dash/

Thanks Shravsi! That really did help a lot.
I think I can easily create an em dash in a Word doc now, just apparently not directly in the OBC review forms.
Thank you very much.

marba wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 08:52 Hello!
I am writing a review, and I am unsure if I should count this as an error: em-dashes (or long dashes) should have no spaces before or after, according to the Oxford Dictionary, but looking it up online I did find some discordant opinions about it. What do you think?
I would be sorry to mark as an error something that it is not.

Trust the Oxford Dictionary

marba wrote: ↑20 Oct 2021, 08:52 Hello!
I am writing a review, and I am unsure if I should count this as an error: em-dashes (or long dashes) should have no spaces before or after, according to the Oxford Dictionary, but looking it up online I did find some discordant opinions about it. What do you think?
I would be sorry to mark as an error something that it is not.

Hi! It is a common practice to not leave spaces before or after em-dashes. On the other hand, with the en-dashes (short dashes), spaces are usually recommended. It is more to do with aesthetics than grammar. When you use an en-dash and fail to leave spaces before or after it, the sentence usually looks jammed up, unlike with an em-dash which is slightly longer.

You raise important issue . Thank you.
It is something that confuses me.