A hyphen is a symbol used to join two words or two syllables of a single word together. It is not to be confused with dashes or the minus symbol, as these are all longer than the hyphen and serve different purposes in language.
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3answers
102 views
Slash or hyphen in constructions that imply a combination?
Would you use hyphens or slashes in constructions that imply a combination? Examples:
A yard group / yard steering conflict (meaning a conflict between a yard group and yard steering)
A building ...
2
votes
2answers
136 views
Hyphenation of non-combat-related injury
As I understand it, we are to hyphenate phrases which consist of several adjectives strung together to form a single thought. I would, therefore, assume "non-combat-related injury" is the proper ...
2
votes
1answer
201 views
Parentheses vs. commas vs. hyphen or dash in a list of people
In a list of people published in a bulletin, which is correct?
We continue in prayer for: Amy B.(cancer), T. Jones(nephew of Tim), Lillie (on the death of her brother), Sally(Nursing Home),
...
2
votes
1answer
239 views
When to spell out non-alphanumeric characters?
If a term contains non-alphanumeric characters, when (if ever) should these characters be spelled out? For example:
C++ written as C Plus Plus
...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
Should it be “mid 80s” or “mid-80s”?
When discussing temperatures or decades, should it be hyphenated?
I understood that two-word adjectives need to be hyphenated, but why does MS Word think this should be, too?
2
votes
1answer
178 views
Doubly hyphenated words
Consider the word quasi-first-class. Are the hyphens used correctly? Should the two hyphens be of different length to denote the distinction of the hyphenation? Is there a general rule to deal with ...
2
votes
2answers
2k views
When is it appropriate to use a hyphen? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
To hyphenate or not?
What is the proper way to spell "side dish"?
Is it: "side dish" or "side-dish"?
Also,
Is it "ham-fried" or "ham fried"?
Basically, when do you use ...
2
votes
1answer
405 views
When adding prefixes to noun phrases, should you hyphenate? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
Using “non-” to prefix a two-word phrase
When adding a prefix to a noun, I've been taught to usually ...
2
votes
1answer
148 views
Using hyphen and quote marks in composed term? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
I want to write a term composed out of multiple words, and I would like to know whether I have to use ...
2
votes
1answer
100 views
Is it preferable to generally use nested prepositional phrases or a hyphenated adjectival phrase?
I've recently run into some sticky situations involving how to write out complicated concept descriptions. Take this example:
Which metrics are appropriate for evaluating the accuracy of a ...
2
votes
2answers
206 views
“On or off campus” vs. “On- or off-campus” vs. “On-campus or off-campus”
It does not matter if a student lives __ as ...
I'm writing a formal report. Which of the following should I use to fill in the blank? Which one is correct and more formal and looks/sounds ...
2
votes
1answer
37 views
Hyphen in physical quantities before nouns?
In cases where a physical quantity (consisting of a number and a unit) is used like an adjective to describe a property of an object, should it be written with or without a hyphen between the number ...
2
votes
0answers
36 views
husband-and-wife team or husband and wife team? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
Referring to a sentence from an online magazine:
"Lonely Planet was started in 1975, when the British ...
2
votes
1answer
199 views
Hyphenation of “balaclava”
Balaclava is hyphenated as:
bal-a-cla-va, according to the online edition of Merriam-Webster
ba-la-clava, according to the 1989 printed fourth edition of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ...
1
vote
2answers
114 views
Is “webdesigner” a word?
I am a uh, designer of websites, and I would like to use the phrase for my profession correctly. Unfortunately, webdesigner is flagged by Google Chrome's spellchecker as a misspelling, and web ...
1
vote
1answer
71 views
Hypernym for injured and dead
I'm working on some project that deals with natural disasters. I need to find the most proper word that can be used to refer to someone who either was injured or died in a disaster.
Can I use ...
1
vote
2answers
456 views
Hiscore vs Highscore [closed]
Which of these are correct?
Hiscore
Hi-score
Highscore
High-score
I have seen all except the last being used.
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vote
3answers
348 views
Adverb with or without hyphen?
Remarkably low condensation temperature
or
Remarkably-low condensation temperature?
The focus of remarkable is that it is such a low temperature. We are having an office disagreement and any help ...
1
vote
4answers
2k views
How do hyphens modify the meaning of “n-month-old”?
I see three different ways of hyphenating the phrase "six month old".
Six-month old:
A six-month old poses with a machine gun owned by supporters of the Free Syrian Army.
Six-month-old:
...
1
vote
4answers
227 views
Hyphenating “Evolution”
I've noticed that how the word "evolution" is hyphenated according to Wolfram|Alpha doesn't match the ones I find on other sites: The Free Dictionary, and Dictionary.com.
As I understand, the latter ...
1
vote
3answers
1k views
Hyphen or no hyphen when modifying an adjective with a quantity?
I have a sentence which has an object that is described with an adjective:
We need to inform our interested patrons of this change.
If I modify "educated" with "more" or "less", do I connect the ...
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vote
1answer
771 views
“40-50 years old” vs. “40-50 year olds” when referring to a group
In formal research, which is more correct, and why:
the group of 40-50 years old
OR
the group of 40-50 year olds
In any case the phrase in bold is to be treated as a noun only, as in:
The ...
1
vote
2answers
66 views
How to hyphenate “Churchill”?
How should "Churchill" be hyphenated when it breaks across two lines?
Chu-rchill,
Chur-chill,
Churc-hill, or
Church-ill?
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vote
5answers
2k views
Correctness and spelling of “misscheduled”
I'm sure I've heard the word misscheduled used multiple times in my life. But just now, my spell checker threw a fit. Since I wasn't sure if it should be misscheduled, mis-scheduled, or mischeduled ...
1
vote
3answers
637 views
Using hyphenated words in technical writing?
I always get confused when using hyphenated words in my research papers. Is there any specific rule for using hyphenated words? For example, which one of the following is the correct usage of co ...
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vote
1answer
73 views
Shorebased, Shore-based or Shore Based?
What is the best or correct way to spell this adjective (e.g. shorebased training)?
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2answers
140 views
How to modify “one-third” by an adverb?
Would it be correct to merge with hyphens one-third-contiguously in the following phrase?
I propose to elect by 3 quotas, each per one-thirds-contiguously of time-zones.
1
vote
2answers
145 views
reestablish vs. re-establish
Which form of this word is more appropriate for general use?
I would expect someone to misread reestablish more often than re-establish, however it is more consistent in context with renew, ...
1
vote
2answers
717 views
What's the double hyphen after greetings in emails?
I usually see just format in the emails I receive daily:
Hello Dorian--
I'm calling you in regard with the something...
Thanks,
I see comma after the greetings too but I am not sure ...
1
vote
2answers
370 views
“adjective noun noun”: which noun does the adjective refer to (“electrical system operators”) [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How does the hyphen change the meaning in expressions like “high performance” and “high-performance”?
Is there a grammar rule behind the hyphen in the phrase 'one-act play'?
...
1
vote
1answer
371 views
More dastardly dashes: what are the 'horizontal bar' and 'figure dash' characters for? [closed]
Having read another excellent answer regarding the use of horizontal line-like characters, I'm interested to know the meanings of the horizontal bar and figure dash.
In the other answer linked above, ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
Is it good style to factor out the common root word of two (or more) prefixed compound words?
I see sometimes in conjunciton or disjunction, the common root of two or more compound words are factored out, for example, "super- and sub-script" (maybe bad example, but it suffices to describe the ...
1
vote
2answers
102 views
Should you use en dashes in acronyms?
For terms like liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry that typically use an en dash rather than a hyphen, would an en dash still be used in the acronym, LC–MS? Or would we only need a hyphen there, ...
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vote
1answer
80 views
How many hyphens are appropriate in “Vietnam war veteran turned performing artist Joe Smith”? [duplicate]
How many hyphens should there be in this phrase?
Vietnam war veteran turned performing artist Joe Smith
1
vote
1answer
127 views
How do I write 'first and second order' properly?
I am writing about first-order and second-order quantities. Should I put one hyphen, as in
"first and second-order",
or two, as in
"first- and second-order".
Or should I do something ...
1
vote
3answers
114 views
1D vs. one-dimensional vs. 1-dimensional?
In much of the scientific literature, the words 1D, one-dimensional, 1-dimensional, and 1-D occur frequently. Which of these is the best practice? Are there general principles for deciding which is ...
1
vote
1answer
474 views
“How-to” or “how to” in reference to tutorial [closed]
Should I refer to a tutorial as a how-to or a how to? Is there a grammatical rule for this?
1
vote
1answer
376 views
Hyphenation of “prerequisite”
I'm proofreading my thesis, and found that TeX in its infinite wisdom had decided to hyphenate prerequisite as pre-req-ui-site. I've replaced it with pre-re-qui-si-te, but I'm a bit unsure what the ...
1
vote
1answer
112 views
“of the feudal Estates type” or “of the feudal-Estates type”?
In one Wikipedia page I read this definition:
The zemsky sobor was the first Russian
parliament of the feudal Estates
type, in the 16th and 17th
centuries.
I don't understand, why is there ...
1
vote
0answers
21 views
Capitalisation of hyphenated words in title [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Do you capitalize both parts of a hyphenated word in a title?
I contribute to a journal with a policy of capitalisation of the article titles. My title is ...
1
vote
0answers
28 views
Hyphenating adjectives [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
To hyphenate or not?
When is it appropriate to use a hyphen?
In the phrase
It is simply a large door sized wall of fire.
Should "door sized" be hyphenated to ...
1
vote
0answers
49 views
Correct hyphenation of “ever-more-connected” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
What would be the correct way to hyphenate the phrase "ever-more-connected"? Does it even need hyphens?
...
1
vote
0answers
71 views
Is it appropriate to use a hyphen in compound adjectives? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
I've searched the web and "English Language & Usage", but am having problems finding the answer to ...
1
vote
0answers
184 views
Proper use of hyphens for compound noun 'system model driven approach' [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
How to connect a word and a phrase with a dash?
Multiple compound words
Should I use “ related” or “-related”
I'm aware of the general rules ...
0
votes
1answer
378 views
When to hyphenate open-form compound nouns [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do I hyphenate an open-form compound word with another that should be hyphenated?
I am taking an editing course, and the instructor said that the following phrase ...
0
votes
1answer
109 views
Should “A-Player” Be Hyphenated?
Stupid term, but still: Is it hyphenated or not?
Bob was really happy to have hired Alice; she was an 'A-Player' from the world of private equity and would add a lot to the firm.
0
votes
1answer
85 views
Why does the writer use multiple hyphens? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is a lengthy combination of words with hyphens like “the worst not-technically-in-a-recession year in American history” a new fashion of writing?
But I have found ...
0
votes
3answers
789 views
Hyphenating spelled-out fractions with large numerators and/or denominators
I find myself in the awkward position of needing to systematically spell out fractions where the numerator, the denominator, or both have three or more digits, and I'm not sure about the hyphenation. ...
0
votes
2answers
89 views
“Inward-pointing” or “inward pointing” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
To hyphenate or not?
Which one is correct?
The normal vector we mean is the inward-pointing ...
0
votes
1answer
123 views
Hyphenation “kinetic”
What is the correct hyphenation of "kinetic" (if it matters in British English). I found two possibilities:
ki-net-ic (/kə-ˈne-tik/) in the Merriam Webster (which might be US English) and ...
