Questions tagged [hyphens]
For questions about when and whether to use a hyphen (-) to join two words or two syllables of a single word together.
110
questions
1
vote
2answers
25 views
Should I hyphen the adjective here?
How would you write these two sentences:
It's quiet at nighttime.
It was a night-time ritual.
Should I hyphen the second sentence (as I have)?
?
0
votes
1answer
21 views
Hyphen with multiple adjectives
A five-year-old whiskey
A five year old boy
Should multiple adjectives describing a noun be hyphenated?
0
votes
4answers
90 views
Can I write the word 'mother-in-law' as 'mother in law' or 'mother in-law'?
In Longman Dictionary I have found the word 'mother-in-law'. Can I write the word 'mother-in-law' as 'mother in law' or 'mother in-law'?
0
votes
0answers
14 views
How to hyphenate an adjective+noun+gerund adjective compound?
We're used to adjective compounds, such as:
a decision-making process
or
a cancer-causing lotion.
But what if I want to add an adjective to the noun?
For example:
a corporate decision-...
0
votes
0answers
13 views
Why compound modifiers are not usually hyphenated when they come after the noun?
A lot of grammar references suggest that you hyphenate compound modifiers if they come before the noun but not after the noun. Here's an example:
The apartment is off campus.
VS
That ...
0
votes
1answer
12 views
Job-Search Post: Commas, Hyphens
My friend has a translation business. He inquired if I could assist him for this: He posted on a job-search site to look for employees:
“We look for some more people**,** to take on-board…”
Does ...
2
votes
2answers
258 views
How do you write “wild blueberries flavored”?
How do you write "wild blueberries flavored"?
I am wondering if we need to add hyphens (-) and how many. So, for example, is it "wild-blueberries flavored" or "wild-blueberries-flavored" or something ...
1
vote
2answers
35 views
Can “non” be used as a separate word?
I used non trivial and a grammar correction website shows it is wrong and should be either non-trivial or nontrivial.
x appears in a non trivial number of pages
Or
x appears in a non-...
0
votes
1answer
29 views
Solar and wind powered
How to correctly write "Solar and wind powered" in a sentence? Are hyphens required?
Possible options:
Solar and wind powered
Solar- and wind-powered
Solar and wind-powered
Solar and windpowered
9
votes
2answers
1k views
When do we add a hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
When do we add a hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
Here are a few examples:
This is an Xbox-compatible game.
This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.
This is a SkyRe-compatible ...
1
vote
1answer
537 views
Is it “mid-air”, “midair” or “mid air”
The bird feels the breeze all around it when it's in mid-air.
Is it "mid-air", "mid air" or "midair"? I have seen all three of them in various context, so I am not sure if all of them are valid.
2
votes
1answer
23 views
Why isn't “course selection advice” written as “course-selection advice”?
I thought the phrase needed an hyphen just like, say, class-centered methods. But Google proved me wrong.
Why is this? Maybe the hyphenated version and non-hypenated version are both valid?
2
votes
1answer
56 views
3-year period/3 year limitation period
I understand that in "3-year period", "3-year" is hyphenated. But what about "3 year limitation period"? I once read that if the noun has more than one adjective, no hyphen is correct. Is this true?
0
votes
1answer
27 views
Does “half [something]” need a hyphen?
Example sentence:
I couldn't understand his half-question, half-statement.
I did a Google Book search, and I found out that both usages exist.
Maybe both are right? Or only one?
3
votes
1answer
119 views
Is time hyphenated when you spell it out? For example: “It's two-thirty.”
My book says:
It's two-thirty.
It's six-forty.
It's five-oh-four.
But I found online:
It's two thirty.
It's six forty.
It's five oh four.
I don't think people would spell the time like that on ...
1
vote
1answer
129 views
Plural possessive apostrophe with hyphen
I incorrectly assumed the following question involved plural possession. However, even if it did, is it ever acceptable to use an apostrophe for plural possession in a hyphenated word like this?
...
1
vote
1answer
25 views
Adding a `-` between word, will the word still have same meaning?
Adding a - between word, will the word still have same meaning?
Example
re-open or reopen
re-install or reinstall
4
votes
2answers
11k views
“6-foot tall” or “6-feet tall”?
I have heard/seen people say/write "She is 5 feet 10 inches tall" and "She is 5-foot-10." But in formal writing, is there a convention? I found both "8-foot-tall" and "nine-feet tall" in online ...
2
votes
1answer
102 views
America based company or American based company
I'm surprised to see, that there is no complete agreement on the interwebs on which form is correct. Do we place the based after the nation or the country? E.g. is it
South Africa based company or ...
0
votes
1answer
25 views
Parenthetical Phrase? Preposition? Hyphens?
I had a dialogue. with someone. They sent something like:
When it comes to work, I like structure and being detail-oriented.
Should I call this a parenthetical phrase or preposition?
I thought ...
0
votes
3answers
57 views
Beach Activity?
I heard some people talking:
Do you have a favorite beach activity?
If one wrote this, what would seem proper, and, maybe, grammatically perfect:
. . . beach activity
or,
. . . beach-...
3
votes
2answers
42 views
“within c hops” or “within c-hops”
I am writing a paper. In the paper, I originally wrote
all vertices that are within c hops of a vertex v
but my teacher later changed it to
all vertices that are within c-hops of a vertex v
...
2
votes
1answer
1k views
What does “-” in the word first-class means?
What does a hyphen signify in "first-class"? I can't seem to understand it.
0
votes
1answer
147 views
New joiners - Hyphenated?
When referring to people that have joined a company, would the term new-joiners be hyphenated or not?
My understanding is that the word is a compound noun where "new" is the adjective and "joiners" ...
0
votes
2answers
130 views
When writing “first day nerves” should the words be hyphenated?
When writing the sentence "x will hopefully help ease those first day nerves." should "first day nerves" be hyphenated?
For the record I'm referring to nerves had on the first day of starting ...
3
votes
1answer
10k views
Left handside, left hand side, left hand-side?
How do you write 'left hand side' and 'right hand side'?
Example:
If necessary, select the review language from the language selection box in the left hand side menu bar (by default, the review ...
-1
votes
1answer
53 views
Using a hyphen in double figures
The toy is forty-two dollars.
or
The toy is forty two dollars.
Do I always need to put a hyphen in double figures? Is there any rule regulating that?
1
vote
1answer
642 views
All-natural or All-Natural?
If I am using a word like all-natural in a title or logo, would it be All-natural or All-Natural?
0
votes
1answer
107 views
Hyphenating Phrasal Verbs
I understand that phrasal verbs should only be hyphenated when used as nouns or adjectives; however, I often use the hyphen to avoid confusion with propositional phrases, for example:
dirt has built-...
-1
votes
1answer
78 views
A question pertaining to using a hyphen
Is there a need to put a hyphen between the words super and happy in the sentence given below? If there is no need to put a hyphen then what could be the explanation?
He is super-happy.
0
votes
1answer
234 views
A question about using a hyphen
I want to ask a question related to hyphens. Is there a hyphen between the words white and Thai in the sentence below?
I saw a white-Thai temple.
0
votes
1answer
63 views
Using hyphens between numbers and units before long and wide
I think the single dashes (hyphens) should be placed between the numbers and units in this sentence:
...in a cylinder of 3-inch radius and 24-inch length.
Is that correct and should hyphens be ...
3
votes
2answers
849 views
How to write 'coffee shop' correctly
I read this question on math.stackexchange.com. I am not sure if it is correct to write coffee shop' using a hyphen in between. Please advise.
Ex:- coffee-shop
Ps:- Can we consider it as a ...
0
votes
2answers
211 views
Hyphen in “fine-grained” when it follows a noun
There is the following sentence in the Chicago Manual of Style:
When compound modifiers (also called phrasal adjectives) such as open-mouthed or full-length precede a noun, hyphenation usually ...
1
vote
2answers
286 views
Why hyphenate past-tense phrasal verb when turning it into an adjective?
Joey logged in.
The logged-in person is Joey.
What grammar rule applies to the hyphenated word logged-in?
2
votes
2answers
441 views
Hyphens after Abbreviations and Foreign Letters
Are hyphens used correctly in the examples below? In other words, is there a rule in English that either requires or allows these hyphenations.
In my area of research, there is what is called the ...
1
vote
1answer
264 views
Why don't we hyphenate conjoined words, pronouns specifically?
Recently I've been stuck on the idea that some words that are joined together should actually be separated, as if they are contractions.
Another = an other = an-other.
Something = some thing = some-...
2
votes
2answers
3k views
Hyphenation of adjectives composed of three words
Hyphenating an adjective composed of two words is, from what I understand, fairly straightforward: if the adjective is before the noun, it must be hyphenated
The three-eyed raven
Customer-...
3
votes
1answer
144 views
Hyphen vs. En Dash vs. Em Dash to split a clause [closed]
Which one should I use to split a clause like in the example below?
Go to Preferences > Settings – Syntax Specific.
The screenshot above shows Sublime Text menu.
I'm sure they did not use the ...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
“facility wide”, “facility-wide”, or “facilitywide”
From what I've been able to find, "facilitywide" is the proper term. However after a quick search I've been unable to find this term actually used. "Facility wide" and "facility-wide" are used about ...
0
votes
1answer
18 views
How to Choose When to Hyphenate, Maybe, Two Nouns [duplicate]
No vehicular stand still ever made him late, for work.
or,
No vehicular stand-still ever made him late, for work.
Which may you choose, as proper, and grammatical English grammar?
2
votes
1answer
158 views
Hyphenating a Hyphenated word: tree-trunk-like legs
He seemed to have tree-trunk-like legs.
How do you hyphenate a hyphenated word, properly, and grammatically?
2
votes
2answers
1k views
How to avoid ambiguity in the sentence“This is a little used car”?
Here’s a sentence which is open to two interpretations and therefore can’t be grammatical:
“This is a little used car”.
To avoid the ambiguity of the meaning, would it be enough just to insert a ...
2
votes
2answers
1k views
Do I need a hyphen in “1000-L bioreactor”? Hyphens with abbreviated units of measure
The cultivation was performed in a 1000-L bioreactor.
The cultivation was performed in a 1000 L bioreactor.
Which is better? I find conflicting examples online. On Grammar Book I found this:
...
0
votes
1answer
431 views
Are words like “well-known” spelled with a hyphen in dictionaries?
There are compound words in English like well-known, ill-mannered and so on. The rules tell us that they are spelled with a hyphen (well-known) if they are attributes (attributive adjectives), but ...
9
votes
2answers
20k views
“End user” vs. “end-user” — correct usage of hyphen
I am writing an academic paper, and using the term "end user" many times. However, I am confused between "end user" and "end-user". My current policy is to use "end user" if it is used as a noun. For ...
0
votes
2answers
321 views
Would “my dumb self” be hyphenated?
When using the word "self" like this:
"My dumb self tripped over the rock,"
would "dumb" and "self" be hyphenated?
-1
votes
1answer
7k views
a ten-year period of documenting…?
This book is the first volume and part of a ten-year period of..
This book is the first volume and part of a ten years period of..
This book is the first volume and part of the ten year period of..
...
2
votes
1answer
326 views
A Case of Hyphenation
Is there a rule to explain why (in most dictionaries) words such as half-brother or half-sister are hyphenated while stepbrother or stepsister are not?
1
vote
0answers
52 views
“the 3.2 kilometers stretch” or “the 3.2-kilometer stretch” [duplicate]
History enthusiasts can bask in historical enclaves scattered throughout the island while beach lovers can relax and enjoy sea sports along the 3.2 kilometres stretch of Siloso, ...
