How To Use Dashes And Ellipses

An ellipsis takes the place of missing words.

How to use dashes and ellipses. Em dash or em rule noun. The following punctuation marks should be used sparingly as they are more specialized than those that appear above. Using commas before and after this interruption would be too confusing. Ap puts spaces on each side of em dashes en dash ctrl minus far top right on the number pad. Some screenwriters use dashes to convey the same thing as ellipses.

Colons introduce a restatement explanation list series or some other amplification of the sentence s point to learn more about them read colons and semicolons. Ellipses and dashes are not interchangeable but the misuse of either and both is common. Ellipses and dashes often confuse beginning screenwriters. Em dash ctrl alt minus far top right on the number pad. Use a dash to draw attention to parenthetical information to prepare for changes in tone or to introduce or emphasize information.

A dash is a highlighter. Em dashes can be used instead of parentheses commas colons and ellipses. Not just for emojis. Note how the dashes in the opening monologue from michael clayton written by tony gilroy indicate a character interrupting themselves and changing to another line of thought. For example here is a pause from the screenplay for chinatown written by robert towne.

Home screenwriting worldbuilding storytelling film tv analysis courses about. An ellipsis is created in word by typing three periods consecutively. Usually has a space on both sides. Dashes parentheses brackets ellipses. Dash and ellipsis 1.

Word will then auto correct those three individual periods into a single ellipsis character which looks very similar to three dots but maybe more or less spaced out depending on the font. Cms uses no spaces around em dashes. Dashes and ellipses how to use each 2.