One thing to keep in mind is that usage of the em dash should be limited to no more than two appearances for every sentence. It can also signal interruptions or help to amplify an idea. The role of the em dash is to set off a clause or single word and add emphasis. In short, people who love language and writing tend to have strong opinions about the em dash.
In fact, the “New York Times” has even called the em dash the “bad boy, or cool girl, of punctuation,” adding that this controversial punctuation mark is a “rebel without a clause” and a “freewheeling scofflaw.” Another hot debate is the overuse of the em dash. The em dash enjoys a bit of a cult following, and many writers enjoy debating its many uses. Depending on how a writer uses an em dash, slightly different effects will result. You can even use an em dash in place of quotation marks in certain instances. It depends on the context the writer is going for, but an em dash can be used in place of parentheses, commas, or colons. When it comes to punctuation marks, the beloved em dash is one of the most versatile. Specifically, an em dash is about the width of an uppercase letter M.
An em dash is a punctuation mark that looks like a hyphen but is wider.
