Verily, the em dash, a most elegant and fashionable piece of punctuation, doth grace the annals of writing and editing with its presence. Often seen in lieu of a comma, colon, or parenthesis, this symbol doth bring forth a touch of refinement to one’s grammar. Yet, for those who seek to wield it with mastery on a Windows machine, the path to its access may seem fraught with challenges.
Fret not, dear reader, for there existeth several methods by which thou mayest insert the em dash into thy text. Behold these tips, which shall guide thee on thy quest to become better acquainted with this noble punctuation mark.
Keyboard:
The em dash doth hide within the confines of thy keyboard, awaiting discovery through the right sequence of actions. Turneth on thy Number Lock, press the Alt key, and type the sacred sequence ‘0151’ upon the numeric keypad. Lo, behold the em dash doth appear, signaling thy success in this noble endeavor. Should thy keyboard lack a numeric keypad, fear not, for the alternate digits doth lie upon the keys U, I, O, J, K, L, and M, awaiting thy command.
Microsoft Word:
In the hallowed halls of Microsoft Word, thou canst summon the em dash with ease. Holdeth Ctrl + Alt and the numeric keypad minus sign, and lo, the em dash shall manifest before thine eyes. Shouldst thou wish to venture further, seek the symbol settings of Microsoft Word, where the em dash doth reside among the special characters, ready to grace thy text with its presence.
Start Menu:
By invoking the Microsoft Start Menu shortcut, thou canst access the wondrous emoji menu of Windows OS. A mere press of the Windows Start Menu icon and the period key shall reveal unto thee a realm of symbols, among which the em dash doth dwell. Select it from the table of symbols, and let it find its rightful place in thy program.
Search Engine:
Should all other methods fail thee, do not despair, for the search engine doth hold the key to the em dash. Seek out this noble symbol through the vast expanse of the internet, copy it with care, and bestow it upon thy word processor or text box. Though it may seem a laborious task, the reward of a well-placed em dash shall surely outweigh the effort.
