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.

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Is "study abroad program" correct?

Is "study abroad program" correct? For me, in this phrase, "study" is a noun, "abroad" is an adverb, and "program" is a noun, so it doesn't make sense that ...
hhhh's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
94 views

Hyphenation of "trial and error"

Students learn by trial and error. Students learn by trial-and-error. Should "trial and error" be hyphenated or not in the above sentence? What is the rule here? I have seen both usages.
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1 answer
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Sword-fighting, sword fighting, or swordfighting?

Silly question, but which spelling is correct here? Like, say, "sword-fighting scenes" or "swordfighting scenes" or "sword fighting scenes".
user175943's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
35 views

How to say that a shirt is similar to a linen shirt? Does linen-like or linen-look work?

I want to say that someone wears shirts similar to linen shirts. Would "He was always wearing a linen-like shirt/linen-look shirt" be correct? Which option is more common, if they are ...
sidney's user avatar
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1 answer
124 views

Is an hyphen needed?

The two-word expression originary interest does not need to be hyphenated. However, should the four-word expression individual originary interest rate be hyphenated somewhere?
chagas's user avatar
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1 answer
25 views

How should one hyphenate this situation?

The central bank interest rate is too high. The central-bank interest rate is too high. The central-bank interest-rate is too high. Which of the above alternatives do you think is correct and why? ...
jaspion's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
16 views

Singe or double hyphen?

Is it better to write foreign-currency-denominated bonds or foreign currency-denominated bonds?
Steven's user avatar
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6 votes
2 answers
714 views

"polluted-air-related disease" or "polluted air-related disease"?

The exhaust produced by the automobile increases the rate of polluted-air-related diseases. That's my original sentence. Grammarly changed it into "polluted air-related diseases". I think ...
庄怀玉's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
42 views

Is the adj. "individual-traveler-friendly" correct?

When I was writing an essay, I wanted to write that traveling without a tour guide is friendly to individual travelers because it conduces to a flexible schedule. A phrase "dog-friendly hotel&...
庄怀玉's user avatar
  • 159
0 votes
2 answers
51 views

Using a hyphen in a sentence

I typed the following sentence for grammar checking: It seems I am quite close, but the errors are time consuming to resolve sometimes. It converted it to: It seems I am quite close, but the errors ...
nicku's user avatar
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1 answer
47 views

Must I hyphenate "commonly-followed economic indicators"?

commonly followed economic indicators commonly-followed economic indicators Must I hyphenate between "commonly" and "followed"? Why? Thank you.
jewels's user avatar
  • 112
1 vote
1 answer
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"applying in person" vs. "applying in-person"

Does one write "applying in person" or "applying in-person" (with the hyphen)? Example: When applying in person for this job, can one bring one's dog? What I've found so far: ...
Franck Dernoncourt's user avatar
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0 answers
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more adjectives or characteristics of something with hyphens

I want to know if there's a rule that I could use to form words with hyphens, which generally give a characteristic for something. Ex: a know-it-all person. a story-driven videogame. a two-faced ...
kr0owley's user avatar
4 votes
3 answers
538 views

Should "long-lasting" be hyphenated after a noun? [closed]

I understand that when "long-lasting" is used as a compound adjective before a noun, it is always hyphenated, as in example 1: A long-lasting transformation. However, I would like to know ...
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0 votes
1 answer
42 views

Which is correct and idiomatic, "irregular-verb appearance", "appearance of irregular verbs", or "irregular verbal appearance"?

Which is the most correct and idiomatic? I think that 1. and 2. are pretty correct and idiomatic, but 3. is just erroneous. The irregular-verb appearance is very interesting. The appearance of ...
Винни-мыслитель 's user avatar
-1 votes
1 answer
27 views

Please help; this is giving me an ulcer -walled, -wall, or no wall at all?

Okay, so I'm editing a book on architecture that's as poorly written as it is dry. My biggest issue right now is the use of the word "walled"; do you think this needs to be rewritten as ...
Bridget Manzella's user avatar
0 votes
2 answers
38 views

Which preposition to use when two years are separated by a hyphen?

The implementation of socialism in the Soviet Union caused a famine in 1930. (1) The implementation of socialism in the Soviet Union caused a famine in 1930-1933. (2) I know that sentence (1) is ...
tryingtobeastoic's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
120 views

Should I use a hyphen?

Should a hyphen be used for "cost efficiency" in the below examples? Thank you. the cost-efficiency targets a cost-efficiency program
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1 vote
1 answer
160 views

"time series" vs. "time-series" [closed]

When "time series" is used as a noun, is a hyphen needed? a time-series versus a time series PS: I feel that when "time series" is used as an adjective (see below), a hyphen is ...
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0 votes
0 answers
9 views

Stick-On Curtains or Stick-on Curtains [duplicate]

If the title of an article is about stick on curtains, should the title be "Stick-On Curtains" or "Stick-on Curtains"? In other words, should "o" in "stick-on" ...
Maurice's user avatar
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1 answer
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miserable-looking

a. I saw a sick and miserable looking boy standing at the corner of the street. b. I saw a sick and miserable-looking boy standing at the corner of the street. The question is whether the boy was ...
azz's user avatar
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2 votes
2 answers
324 views

Hyphenate “communicating”: communi-cating or communic-ating?

The online hyphenator https://www.ushuaia.pl/hyphen/?ln=en provides different hyphenations of the word communicating depending on the variant of English: according to that program (which needn't be ...
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0 votes
2 answers
428 views

Hyphens or no hyphens in well(-)thought(-)through?

Which of the following is the correct form? well thought through well thought-through well-thought-through I've tried googling, and all three seem to occur to quite some extent, but does that mean ...
Helen's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
57 views

What type of dash is in “Bo01 - City of Tomorrow”?

Is the short line in “Bo01 - City of Tomorrow” supposed to be a hyphen, en dash, or em dash? Also, is the line following "2001" used correctly? Malmö has long been renowned as a pioneer in ...
Apollyon's user avatar
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0 votes
2 answers
571 views

Cardboard cut out, cutout or cut-out?

I couldn't find an agreement online on which form of "cut out" is the most correct as a noun. It would be interesting to know about any British English and U.S. English distinction as well.
Alex F.'s user avatar
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2 answers
348 views

Hyphen usage with with multiple compound adjectives separated by or/and

I have the following question. I have a structure like this: dark-looking or sinister-looking Can I write it like this: dark- or sinister-looking
Ge To's user avatar
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1 answer
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Does "Yet-not-something" exist? [closed]

I was writing a text and started thinking if this grammar construction exists: "yet-not-something". The phrase I was trying to write is: It is expected the operations start by May and, by ...
LeanKervi's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
94 views

What does the hyphen ("-") here mean?

Today, when reading Lannquist,2020, p.7, I saw the second hyphen "-" but I do not understand what the author wants to imply. “smart‑contract”‑driven wholesale CBDC applications (e.g. “...
Phil Nguyen's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
922 views

"number one way" hyphen

The number (-) one way to make someone less stressed is to appreciate them and their struggle, support them no matter what, and share your experience of dealing with a similar problem. Should there ...
Diane Mik's user avatar
  • 319
-2 votes
1 answer
231 views

Where is the noun in this sentence

Where is the noun in this sentence. You'll be really well rewarded in this job. The reason why I wanna know that is because of this sentence “ That's right! The first adjective is an 'adverb + past ...
YWHYY's user avatar
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4 votes
3 answers
1k views

Is it correct to say "how-many-day a tour was it"?

How-many-day a tour was it? How many days was the tour? How many days of tour were you on? How-many-day tour of Cambridge were you on? Are the above sentences grammatically correct? I understand ...
Askeladd's user avatar
  • 243
0 votes
1 answer
7k views

Pre-school or preschool?

When I check my various dictionaries (Longman; Cambridge; Merriam-Webster and a bilingual dictionary), preschool is spelt without a hyphen. Still, when I google it, I get a fair number of hits for ...
Helen's user avatar
  • 1,702
0 votes
1 answer
151 views

Ant-keeping? Or Antkeeping?

Up until now I was under the impression that hyphens are very rare in the English language. At least when it comes down to compounds. (This is different from my native language, where it is rather ...
Opifex's user avatar
  • 129
0 votes
1 answer
33 views

Is it (patho)physiological, (patho-)physiological or (patho)-physiological? [closed]

I'm not sure what the correct usage of hyphens is if they are used to provide a word alternative. Example: These are released from cells under certain (patho)physiological conditions. Bonus question: ...
aKzenT's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
36 views

hyphen after an open compund noun for a hierarchical two-level compund noun

EDIT: The sentence is what I would consider a minimum working example and is originally followed by some subordinate clause. I am not looking to simply reduce word count but to improve intelligibility ...
DoerteMitHut's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
342 views

Are noun+noun and noun's (aphostrope) + noun the same?

First, please see these examples: Noun+noun: a three-hour journey a ten-pound note a four-week course noun + 's + noun: I've got a week's holiday starting on Monday. Julia has got three weeks' ...
user516076's user avatar
  • 4,980
0 votes
1 answer
2k views

Modern day vs modern-day in a sentence

I'm preparing for academic IELTS by writing some essays and then correcting those using a grammar correction app. In the following sentence, ...as opposed to the modern day where the numbers are more ...
ZenBerry's user avatar
  • 387
2 votes
2 answers
305 views

What are the rules for capitalizing the second part of a hyphenated word in a title?

I would assume that it both parts of the hyphenated word would be capitalized in a standard example (e.g. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler). However, I noticed in my piano book, it ...
CubicMathTime's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
2k views

Hyphen usage with 'off-limits'/'off limits'

I have seen both 'off-limits' and 'off limits' used in the same context. A thing that is off(-)limits is forbidden to be used or otherwise restricted to only some people's usage from my understanding. ...
Ge To's user avatar
  • 141
0 votes
1 answer
28 views

Can I use the combination "multi-adjective+noun"?

I'd like to learn if I can use the combination "multi-adjective+noun" to form an adjective. Examples; This is a multi-rigid-body analysis. (I mean that this analysis has more than one ...
Jawel7's user avatar
  • 874
1 vote
0 answers
37 views

How do we capitalize a hyphenated adjective which starts with an abbrevation in the beginning of a sentence?

I am really confused right now and I can't seem to find a straight answer to this question. I was writing an essay and I am stumped on the correct capitalization when it came to starting a sentence ...
ghostwriter1996's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
59 views

"A well Oxford-educated politician" OR "A well-Oxford-educated politician"?

I saw many examples like "He is an Oxford-educated politician" and I'm curious about the usage of hyphens here by adding "well" in the front. Is it "He is a well-Oxford-...
Jawel7's user avatar
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0 votes
0 answers
23 views

A question about the word repellent

which one is correct? Rub some of this mosquito repellent on your legs or Rub some of this mosquito-repellent on your legs. I think the first one is correct. However, I have seen the second one in ...
Emad's user avatar
  • 113
2 votes
2 answers
163 views

How should an „anti-human trafficking operation“ be hyphenated?

How should an „anti-human trafficking operation“ be hyphenated? I recently saw this expression in a newspaper article, with a hyphen between „anti“ and „human“. It took me some time to figure out that ...
wra's user avatar
  • 135
0 votes
1 answer
730 views

What is the difference between "state of the art" and "state-of-the-art"?

Sometimes I see sentences with "state of the art" and others with "state-of-the-art". What is the difference if it has a hyphen?
JonghwanKim's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
150 views

Which is correct? dubious looking + noun Or dubious-looking + noun?

I'm currently writing an essay. I don't know whether or not it's 'dubious looking' or 'dubious-looking' when describing a noun. For example, 'dubious(-)looking' form. I know the hyphen is used when ...
Jan's user avatar
  • 21
1 vote
1 answer
231 views

"mini-skydiver" vs "miniskydiver."

Example sentence: The cockroach fell to the floor like a mini-skydiver and scurried out of the bathroom. Some style guides say that you shouldn't use a hyphen with the prefix "mini." But I ...
wyc's user avatar
  • 7,135
0 votes
1 answer
30 views

What is the usage of the tailing hyphen without connecting to the second word?

The paper I am reading says, On the other hand, the side of the split comes from challenges made in the 1970s to the primarily white, non-disabled, heterosexual, and otherwise privileged mainstream ...
IvanaGyro's user avatar
  • 111
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

What's the difference between 'time-consuming' and 'time-consumed'?

How do I distinguish whether to use v-ing or v-ed within compound adjective?
yixuan's user avatar
  • 279
0 votes
1 answer
5k views

"on this matter" or " in this regard" here?

In addition to the main question, it is master or master's more appropriated here? .On the other hand, graduated with a master’s that provides the latest strategies to tackle agricultural-associated ...
pepo's user avatar
  • 97