I didn’t know much about the Em Dash until recently. This helpful post came just in time. Thanks Amanda!
The incorrect use of em dashes and ellipses is not something that matters a whole lot in the grand scheme of writing. There are more crucial grammatical issues such as direct address commas, apostrophes, and spelling. However, dash/ellipses confusion is a personal pet peeve of mine, and thankfully, the rule is easy enough to remember:
An em dash is the punctuation mark noted by the longer dash. It’s not a hyphen like what you see in this: A two-minute drill. The em dash is longer (—).
Use an em dash (—) for interrupted dialogue, thought, or narrative. Example:
“Why don’t you—” He stopped suddenly and looked behind him.
Use ellipses (…) to denote a small pause, stuttering, or dialogue/narrative that trails off. Here are a few examples:
“And your name is…?” <– In this case…
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