Hyphens and Dashes

Solution

Using Hyphens to Form Compound Words

• Use a hyphen to form compound words.

  Sometimes, writers combine words to form a single adjective modifier placed before a noun or to form a compound noun as in the following examples:

  the already–opened package a serious–minded student an out–of–work mechanic a time of self–reflection

  Here are a few simple guidelines to help you hyphenate compound words correctly:

  • Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to a proper noun (one which begins with a capital letter) or a date:

    anti–American protesters pre–1990's political ideals

  • Use a hyphen with the prefixes self, all, quasi, and ex (when ex means "formerly").

    self–serving bias all–knowing deity quasi–legal organization ex–husband

  • Use a hyphen when necessary to avoid misreading, especially when the same letter both ends a prefix and begins the root word:

    co–ownership anti–incendiary

  • Some words are always hyphenated.

    I'd like you to meet my brother-in-law. His coffee is a real eye-opener

• Use a hyphen to express written–out numbers.
  • Hyphenate two–word numbers between twenty–one and ninety–nine. Don't use a hyphen before or after a category number like hundred, thousand, or million:

    forty–nine three hundred forty–seven

    Remember that unless the number occurs at the beginning of a sentence, numbers longer than two syllables should usually be expressed in digits. (Numbers at the beginning of a sentence must always be written out.)

• Once again, it's important to consult a dictionary to find out which words are generally hyphenated and which words are written as single words.