There are a number of special characters which can be hard to type, which you mostly see in print, won't see in email, and see only rarely on the web. It's a very good idea to use them whenever appropriate — work looks more professional with the right typography.

The reason these things are rare is because people just aren't brought up to know about them and Windows makes it hard to type them. Why and when?

Em Dashes

You should use an em dash (roughly the width of an “m”) between concepts in a sentence or title:

“She brought the dog — the grey one — with her to the show.”

Hyphens don't look right, and two hyphens looks wrong too. In HTML, you can use the HTML entity instead:

— = — (option-shift-hyphen)

Avoid em dashes in email. Use a single dash with spaces around it. Note that a common US convention is not to use spaces, and this clearly fails badly when hyphens are used.

En Dashes

These aren't nearly as critical; you're meant to use en dashes between numbers, such as in 2001-2002. Typically the width of an “n”. (By the way, a hyphen is also known as an el dash.) Not critical in HTML, and the entity doesn't work in some browsers. Use in print, but simply substitute hyphens in HTML.

(option-hyphen)

Curly Quotes

More important in print, as the difference isn't clear in body text at screen resolution, but still important on the web. Word and other word processors automatically insert these as you type, so you've been using them unconsciously for a while. Straight quotes (rabbit ears) can stand out badly in a graphic piece or larger text.

Easy to use in HTML, examples:

“Curly Quotes” (option-[, option-shift-[)

‘Single Curly Quotes/Apostrophe’ (option-], option-shift-])

HTML Entities:

“ and ” for doubles, ‘ and ’ for singles.

Other Characters

It's easy to find out how to type a weird character on the Mac — use Key Caps. Hold down a modifier key to see what it'll help you type. On a PC, things get messy. You have to know the code number of the character you want, then hold alt and type that number on the keypad. Messy. Word can insert a symbol for you; just be sure to select the actual font you're using, as it prefers to insert characters from the Symbol font. Additionally, bullets exist in nearly every font, but Word always uses Symbol's bullets for lists. Don't ask why.

Anyway, in HTML, you can use a number of other entities, including:

° = ° (option-shift-8)

· = · (option-shift-9)

™ = ™ (option-2)

© = © (option-g)

® = ® (option-r)

How many whats where?

There are a few more simple rules. If you put a number of dots in a row, like this... then that's called an ellipsis. There is a special character to represent it, and Word will insert it for you when you type three in a row. You won't notice, but it won't break over a line, either. Just use three dots in HTML, but whatever medium you use it in, always use exactly three.

Spaces after full stops. This is a touchy issue. Typing schools will teach you to use two spaces after a full stop (period), which was correct for typewriters but is wrong for computers. HTML will ignore multiple spaces in a row, so no problem if you're inputting HTML and can't stop yourself typing more. In other media, be careful not to type more than one — especially in print — it just looks weird.

How many returns after a paragraph? Many people put an extra return between, and you'll have to follow that standard in email. HTML uses tags to separate paragraphs, so no big deal there. In Word or in print, though, it's a good idea to use paragraph spacing to do the job for you. That way, the computer knows what to do in situations where, for example, a new paragraph starts on a new page. If you've used two returns, it'll cause extra space at the top of the next page, but if you've used paragraph spacing, it won't. You'll also get much more control over spacing that way, for example, you can automatically set up extra spacing before headings. It's handy and easy, though the two return habit is very hard to break.

Contents pages? If you have to make one by hand, don't use spaces or dots to move numbers across the page. It won't look right, is hard to edit, and is more work than it needs to be. Use tabs. Put tabs where you need them, right, left, centre or decimal justification. Apply leaders to fill the tab's space with dots, underscores, or something else. Convenient and easy to edit. Always use tabs rather than pressing space or tab a number of times; it'll make your documents more consistent and reusable. In HTML, use tables to do the same thing — multiple spaces will just fail, and multiple dots will be different on every screen.