If you've been using ChatGPT for writing, you've probably noticed something: it absolutely loves em-dashes (–). And if you’re like the rest of us, you absolutely hate them and wish they had never existed in the modern grammatical language.

Thankfully, you can easily train your AI to write more naturally by adding one simple instruction to your Role.

<aside> 💡

TLDR

ChatGPT loves using em-dashes (—) which can make writing feel overly formal
Add a simple instruction to your Role to get more natural, conversational text
Takes 30 seconds to implement and works across all your conversations </aside>

Why does ChatGPT use so many em-dashes?

ChatGPT was trained on a massive amount of text that includes academic papers, formal articles, and literary works—all of which use em-dashes frequently for emphasis and parenthetical thoughts. The AI learned that em-dashes are "good writing," so it uses them liberally.

While em-dashes work great in formal writing, they can make casual content feel stuffy and over-punctuated. Also, who the heck uses em-dashes in everyday writing anyway?

Prompt to stop the Em Dashes for good:

Add this instruction to your Role's guidelines:

Avoid using em-dashes (—) in your writing. Instead, use commas, periods, or parentheses for natural, conversational flow.

That's literally it. This single line will dramatically change how your AI writes, making the output feel more conversational and less formal.

How to add this to your Role

Select the Role you want to modify (or create a new one)
In the instructions field, add the em-dash avoidance prompt above

Screenshot 2025-07-23 at 2.25.09 PM.png

Save your changes
Assign the Role using the shortcut ⌘/Ctrl + R or clicking “Set Role” in the chat editor

Screenshot 2025-07-23 at 2.24.47 PM.png

Before and after examples

More Grammatical Customizations

Want even more control over your AI's writing style? Try combining the em-dash instruction with other style guidelines:

Writing style guidelines:
- Avoid using em-dashes (—) in your writing
- Use short, clear sentences when possible
- Write in a conversational, friendly tone
- Prefer active voice over passive voice
- Use contractions naturally (you'll, we're, it's)

More Writing Roles

Different writing styles will call for different sets of tones of voice and styles. Therefore, it’s great to have a few different Roles that you can easily switch between in your workflow.

Here are a few examples:

<aside> 💡

Pro tip: Use Expanse’s Magic-Pen tool to auto-generate your own Roles based on a few keywords.

</aside>

Nobody wants more AI slop in the world…

So please remember that these Roles should be edited to match your tone-of-voice, language and style.

The best AI-generated content is the kind that feels authentically human. Take the time to train your Roles properly, and you'll create content that actually connects with your audience instead of adding to the noise.