what is a dash called in grammar
Em dash (Em rule) An em dash (â) is longer than an en dash (â) and three times as long as a hyphen (-). Donât be afraid of it. It is useful and versatile, and too few writers make use of it. Uses of the em dash. 1. Em dashes set apart parenthetical phrases or clauses in a sentence. In this use, em dashes are similar to commas and parentheses, but there are subtle differences. For example, em dashes are used when a parenthetical remark contains an internal comma or would otherwise sound awkward if enclosed by commas.