Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but mean different things and may be pronounced differently. To prevent confusion, hyphens can be used to distinguish between homographs. Hyphens can be used to combine an adverb and adjective to describe a noun. In this situation, the adverb is describing the adjective, and the adjective is describing the noun.
However, when the adverb ends with -ly, a hyphen should not be used. It is not always necessary to use a hyphenated word. Sentences can be rearranged to avoid the need for a hyphen. If the adverb and adjective come after the noun being described, a hyphen is not needed.
Remember that using hyphens to combine adverbs and adjectives in this way creates a new word. The placement of hyphens can greatly change the meaning of a word, thus changing the entire sentence.
Dashes are often used to mark interruptions within sentences and show relationships between words. Em dashes are often used to mark interruptions within sentences. The adverb well describes stocked rather than cupboards. Cathy drove her seven-year-old son to school every morning. If the adjectives were written separately, they would describe her son as seven, year, and old. It is only when the words are joined together with a hyphen that they make sense as a single adjective.
Re-collect means to collect again; without a hyphen the word recollect has a different meaning. Re-creation means to create again; without a hyphen, the word recreation has a different meaning. Co-respondent without the hyphen could be confused with correspondent. Always use a hyphen with the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-, and with the suffix -elect. Use a hyphen with all compound numbers between twenty-one through ninety-nine, and when writing fractions as words.
The Hyphen. Divide a word between syllables. Rule Many editors do not hyphenate certain well-known expressions. They believe that set phrases, because of their familiarity e. Examples: a high school senior an ice cream cone a twentieth century throwback. However, other editors prefer hyphenating all compound modifiers, even those with low risk of ambiguity. Examples: a high-school senior an ice-cream cone a twentieth-century throwback.
When in doubt, look it up. Some familiar phrases may require hyphens. For instance, is a book up to date or up-to-date? Don't guess; have a dictionary close by, or look it up online. A prefix a, un, de, ab, sub, post, anti , etc. The word prefix itself contains the prefix pre. Prefixes expand or change a word's meaning, sometimes radically: the prefixes a, un , and dis , for example, change words into their opposites e. Rule 1. Hyphenate prefixes when they come before proper nouns or proper adjectives.
Rule 2. In describing family relations, great requires a hyphen, but grand becomes part of the word without a hyphen. Examples: My grandson and my granduncle never met. My great-great-grandfather fought in the Civil War. For clarity, many writers hyphenate prefixes ending in a vowel when the root word begins with the same letter.
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. Hyphenate all words beginning with the prefixes self-, ex- i. Examples: self-assured ex-mayor all-knowing. Use a hyphen with the prefix re when omitting the hyphen would cause confusion with another word.
Examples: Will she recover from her illness? I have re-covered the sofa twice. Omitting the hyphen would cause confusion with recover. I must re-press the shirt. Omitting the hyphen would cause confusion with repress. The stamps have been reissued. A hyphen after re- is not needed because there is no confusion with another word. Writers often hyphenate prefixes when they feel a word might be distracting or confusing without the hyphen.
Examples: de-ice With no hyphen we get deice , which might stump readers. A suffix y, er, ism, able , etc. 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. Suffixes are not usually hyphenated. Some exceptions: -style, -elect, -free, -based. Examples: Modernist-style paintings Mayor-elect Smith sugar-free soda oil-based sludge.
For clarity, writers often hyphenate when the last letter in the root word is the same as the first letter in the suffix. Prefixes aftereffect extracurricular multiphase socioeconomic Suffixes agoraphobia wavelike cardiogram. General Principle 5 When two or more compound modifiers have a common base, this base is sometimes omitted in all except the last modifier, but the hyphens are retained.
Long- and short-term memory 2-, 3-, and min trials See the Publication Manual for exceptions to these principles. Last updated: August Date created: May
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