Using M-dash and N-dash?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Missed the start of this side topic, but it appears that someone 
proposed asking people "whether they *use* em dashes in their writing 
and whether they care what's written in the Chicago Manual of Style 
(CMoS)" as if that question were really important.

Puh-lease. This is logic? Should we abandon the use of dictionaries 
because so few people seem to use them, and abandon punctuation because 
so many people don't understand how to use it well? Maybe we should 
abandon subject-verb accord too; by the evidence from my freelance 
editing work, not too many people know how to use that tool either. And 
maybe we should just organize our thoughts on the page in whatever 
order they drift into our enlightened brains, since good organization 
isn't all that common either. Yeah, that's a real good idea.

The reason these guides and others exist is because some of us 
understand their importance and use them to impose a measure of 
consistency. Others benefit from our use of these guides. The reason em 
and en dashes exist--and have done so for a good many years (centuries, 
probably)--is because they continue to serve a useful purpose. Some of 
us still know how to use them and many more of us understand their 
purpose.

Yes, the lowest common denominator keeps on sinking, but that doesn't 
mean we should pander to the lowest common denominator. Write well, 
using all the tools at your disposal, for the benefit of those who can 
appreciate good writing. Write clearly so that those who can't 
appreciate what we're doing can still benefit from our writing. 
Skillful use of language is worth defending, and worth promoting.

Dave Brown rejoined: <<What I wrote was that, without conscious effort, 
most people correctly interpret the intended meaning of text that 
includes appropriately used em dashes. The point is that a professional 
communicator needs to understand and employ the tools and rules of 
effective communication.>>

And _that's_ well said. Amen.

--Geoff Hart   ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca
(try geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com if you don't get a reply)