Smart typography

The Latin script is the most widely used in the world today and encompasses several blocks in Unicode. This means that it encompasses, for instance, the diverse punctuation signs and quotation marks used in different European languages.

Quotations marks

It is important when you use a font that you use “smart” rather than “straight” quotation marks. In Word, you can automatically ensure this happens by selecting Word > Preferences > AutoCorrect > Auto Format As you Type, and check the box that says “‘Straight quotes’ with ‘smart quotes’”. Note that in the example above quotation marks are aligned with the ascender line.

In general, you should follow the conventions for quotations marks in the language in which you are writing. So, if you are writing an essay in English, you should not use guillemets for quotations in French. Conversely, if you are writing in French, you should substitute guillemets for single or double quotation marks throughout.

Dashes

It is important also to distinguish between hyphens and dashes.

A hyphen is used to connect two words used a phrasal unit: “a nineteenth-century novel” (as distinct from “the novel is a major genre in the nineteenth century”), or in multi-word expressions in different languages, e.g. “bien-être”.

Dashes have a different purpose. An en-dash is used with ranges of numbers, e.g. 11–22, or to express the sense “between”, e.g. “the Franco–Prussian war”. An em-dash is used as a punctuation mark to separate parts of a sentence more decisively than with a comma.

If you are interested in languages, you need to know about characters — and Unicode.

Em-dashes can also be the equivalent of parentheses:

Madame Bovary — first published in 1857 — was soon translated into English.

They are also used in French to introduce direct speech:

— « Félicité ! la porte ! la porte ! »