The hyphen, the transparent tape of punctuation, is used to join words and to connect parts of words.
| 32a | Use hyphens in compound words that require them |
Compound words in the English language take three forms:
Compounds fall into these categories more by custom than by rule. When you’re not sure which way to write a compound, refer to a current collegiate dictionary. If the compound is not listed, write it as two words.
Use a hyphen in a compound word containing one or more elements beginning with a capital letter.
Bill says that, as a neo-Marxist living in an A-frame house, it would be politically incorrect for him to wear a Mickey Mouse T-shirt.
Exceptions to this rule include unchristian, for one.
| 32b | Use a hyphen in a compound adjective preceding, but not following, a noun |
Jerome, a devotee of twentieth-century music, has no interest in the classic symphonies of the eighteenth century.
I’d like living in an out-of-the-way place better if it weren’t so far out of the way.
In a series of hyphenated adjectives with the same second word, you can omit that word (but not the hyphen) in all but the last adjective of the series.
Julia is a lover of eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century music.
The adverb well, when coupled with an adjective, follows the same hyphenation rules as if it were an adjective.
It is well known that Tony has a well-equipped kitchen, although his is not as well equipped as the hotel’s.
Do not use a hyphen to link an adverb ending in -ly with an adjective.
The sun hung like a newly minted penny in a freshly washed sky.
| 32c | Use a hyphen after the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-and before the suffix -elect |
Lucille’s ex-husband is studying self-hypnosis.
This all-important debate pits Senator Browning against the president-elect.
| 32d | Use a hyphen in most cases if an added prefix or suffix creates a double vowel, a triple consonant, or an ambiguous pronunciation |
It is also acceptable to omit the hyphen in the case of a double e: reeducate.
The contractor’s pre-estimate did not cover any pre-existing flaws.
The recreation department favors the re-creation of a summer program.
| 32e | Use a hyphen in spelled-out fractions and compound whole numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine |
When her sister gave Leslie’s age as six and three-quarters, Leslie corrected her: “I’m six and five-sixths!”
The fifth graders learned that forty-four rounds down to forty while forty-five rounds up to fifty.
| 32f | Use a hyphen to indicate inclusive numbers |
The section covering the years 1975-1980 is found on pages 20-27.
| 32g | Use a hyphen to break a word between syllables at the end of a line |
Academic style guides (such as MLA and APA) prefer that you turn off your word processor’s automatic hyphenation function. If you are designing a text that requires breaking a word, check your dictionary for its syllable divisions.