HYPHEN
HYPHEN
HYPHEN
OBJECTIVES
RULE #1
Hyphenate the word pairs if they come BEFORE the noun they describe, but NOT if they come after.
Example:
RULE #2
Example:
Rule #3
If the sentence will mean something else without pairing the right words, use hyphen.
Picture diagram:
Insect-eating plant
RULE#4
To write Numbers
Hyphens are used in compound and fractions that are spelled out.
Example:
RULE #5
Hyphens are used with prefixes like ex-, self-, all-, and other suffixes.
Example:
anti-Trump
pro-Trump
pro-Civil War
mid-September
post-World War II
RULE #6
Ex. brother-in-law
in-laws
merry-go-round
runner-up
RULE #7
Example:
ACTIVITY TIME!
Rule 3. For clarity, many writers hyphenate prefixes ending in a vowel when the root word begins with
the same letter.
Example:
ultra-ambitious
semi-invalid
However, in recognition of the modern trend toward spare hyphenation, do not hyphenate after pre and
re prefixes when the root word begins with e.
Rule 4. Hyphenate all words beginning with the prefixes self-, ex- (i.e., former), and all-.
Examples:
self-assured
ex-mayor
all-knowing
Rule 5. Use a hyphen with the prefix re when omitting the hyphen would cause confusion with another
word.
Examples:
Rule 6. Writers often hyphenate prefixes when they feel a word might be distracting or confusing
without the hyphen.
Examples:
de-ice
co-worker
With no hyphen we get coworker, which could be distracting because it starts with cow.
A suffix (y, er, ism, able, etc.) is a letter or set of letters that follows a root word. Suffixes form new
words or alter the original word to perform a different task. For example, the noun scandal can be made
into the adjective scandalous by adding the suffix ous. It becomes the verb scandalize by adding the
suffix ize.
Rule 1. Suffixes are not usually hyphenated. Some exceptions: -style, -elect, -free, -based.
Examples:
Modernist-style paintings
Mayor-elect Smith
sugar-free soda
oil-based sludge
Rule 2. For clarity, writers often hyphenate when the last letter in the root word is the same as the first
letter in the suffix.
Examples:
graffiti-ism
wiretap-proof
Rule 3. Use discretion—and sometimes a dictionary—before deciding to place a hyphen before a suffix.
But do not hesitate to hyphenate a rare usage if it avoids confusion.
Examples:
Although the preceding hyphens help clarify unusual terms, they are optional and might not be every
writer's choice. Still, many readers would scratch their heads for a moment over danceathon and
eelesque.
What is a hyphen?
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable
with the various dashes.
Hyphens are often used in compound modifiers when the modifier comes before the word it’s
modifying.
If you’re not sure whether a compound word has a hyphen, check your preferred dictionary.
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Using hyphens to connect words is easy. Picking the right words to connect is a little harder. Let’s start
with compound modifiers, also known as phrasal adjectives.
A compound modifier is made up of two or more words that work together to function like one
adjective in describing a noun. When you connect words with a hyphen, you make it clear to readers
that the words work together as a unit of meaning.
It’s recommended you don’t take down any load bearing walls when renovating.
It would be easy to read the above sentence as saying that you shouldn’t take down any load that is
holding up a wall. A hyphen should be inserted between load and bearing to make it clear that we’re
talking about walls that are bearing a load.
It’s recommended you don’t take down any load-bearing walls when renovating.
Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two or more words are functioning together as an adjective
before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, we usually leave the hyphen out.
You never use a hyphen when your modifier is made up of an adverb ending in -ly and an adjective.
Compound modifiers that include present or past participles follow the same rules as any other
compound modifier.
When we combine an adjective, a noun, or an adverb that doesn’t end in -ly with a present participle
(the –ing form of a verb) to describe another word, we use a hyphen to make the meaning of the
combined descriptor clear.
There are some beautiful looking flowers in the garden.
Without the hyphen between beautiful and looking, your reader may stumble over the sentence.
Perhaps there’s a new type of daisy called the “looking flower”?
Don’t use a hyphen when the modifier comes after the noun it’s describing.
Don’t use a hyphen when you are combining an adverb ending in -ly and a participle.
Compound modifiers that contain a past participle follow the same rules as other compound modifiers.
Use a hyphen when the compound goes before the noun it modifies:
Don’t use a hyphen when the compound comes after the noun it describes.
When using high or low as part of a compound modifier, use a hyphen when the compound comes
before the noun it’s modifying.
Low-flying airplanes contribute to the noise pollution in the area.
Low-income families often face more stress than their higher-income counterparts.
Hyphenated compound words are muti-word terms with a hyphen or hyphens between their
component words. Over time, many hyphenated compounds become closed compounds—teen-ager
became teenager, for instance. Check a dictionary if you’re not sure how to treat a compound. Here are
a few examples of common hyphenated compound words:
Mother-in-law
Half-pipe
Ten-year-old
Six-pack
Foot-pound
[expand]President-elect[/example]
Hyphenated words tend to become closed compounds (single words, with no spaces and no hyphens)
over time. Email instead of e-mail, for example, is increasingly common. If you aren’t sure whether a
word is a closed compound or a hyphenated one, check your preferred dictionary.
Notebook
Halftime
Waistcoat
Fundraiser
Chairperson
Open compounds are typically made up of two nouns that are used together to represent a single idea.
“Open” means that there is a space between the two words and no hyphen. Again, a good dictionary is
the best place to find out how to treat compounds—if the compound isn’t in the dictionary, that means
it should be open.
Living room
Real estate
Dinner table
Home base
Numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine should be hyphenated when they’re spelled out.
Spelled-out two-word simple fractions are also hyphenated. One-word simple fractions (such as half and
quarter) as part of a compound are not joined by hyphens to the other word or words of the compound
in its noun form, however.
When a number appears as the first part of a compound modifier that comes before a noun in a
sentence, the compound modifier is hyphenated. This applies whether the number is spelled out or in
numerals, and whether it is cardinal or ordinal.
The president of the company gave a ten-minute speech to the board of directors.
However, a hyphen is not required if the number is the second word in the compound adjective.
She has type 2 diabetes.
There’s no basement 3 button in this elevator because it doesn’t go down that far.
Hyphens are also not used between a number and the word percent appearing before a noun.
The channel got a 90 percent bump in subscribers after the video went viral.
When a fraction (e.g., half or quarter) is used as part of a compound adjective appearing before a noun,
it should be hyphenated.
The word half also combines with other words to form compounds in nonmathematical contexts. These
compounds are generally hyphenated when they are used as adjectives (before or after a noun) and
open when they are used as nouns or verbs.
He made a half attempt to contribute to the conversation, but he didn’t really mind just listening to the
others.
Don’t seat Masami and Ira next to each other! They are ex-partners!
Though she no longer held an official position, the ex-mayor still attended all the town’s functions.
Lying on the floor beside the plant he had knocked over and chewed on, the cat looked extremely self-
satisfied.
The team went all in to meet the deadline for their project.