In what follows I provide examples of how the MLA uses dashes and how to access them in Microsoft Word. For that reason, it is a good idea to use keyboard shortcuts to insert them in your text. But dashes do not appear on standard keyboards.
They also appear in works-cited lists in MLA publications. Whereas hyphens primarily divide compound words (“a long-standing concern”), dashes divide other kinds of compound structures or indicate breaks in a sentence. ĭashes come in two varieties: em dashes and en dashes. This post explains how to use dashes in MLA style and Microsoft Word. The series Microsoft Word and MLA Style shows writers how to use Word to make their essays conform to MLA style guidelines.
