Do You Really Need That Em-Dash?
Too Much of Anything...
I like em-dashes, and they can be used effectively. If you want to join two related but disparate sentences, add a parenthetical phrase, or tack something extra onto the end of a sentence, an em-dash might be just the device you’re seeking.
But if you use em-dashes too often, they will call attention to themselves. You want your text to deliver your message or tell your story. You don’t want your reader to be distracted by the thought: “I’m certainly seeing a lot of dashes.”
Em-dashes can always be replaced by other punctuation marks: semi-colons, parentheses, commas, or even periods. So, once you start to notice that you’re using a lot of em-dashes, pull back and see what happens.
Next time you’re tempted to use an em-dash, substitute another punctuation mark instead. See what happens. The writing might become a bit more formal and flow less freely. Fair enough. I’m not mandating that you eliminate all em-dashes from your writing—only the ones that you can easily exchange for something else.
In the sentence above, the em-dash belongs, because it’s not easy to express the thought in any other way. It can be done, but the object isn’t to vilify the em-dash. It’s just to suggest that, as with anything else, overusing an em-dash will prove more of a hindrance than an asset. So consider eliminating the em-dashes that are the most expendable.
Add it to the list of book-editing truths….