When Should Words Be Hyphenated?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It’s impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.

Contents

What is a hyphenated word examples?

Hyphenated Compound Word Examples

  • two-fold.
  • check-in.
  • merry-go-round.
  • father-in-law.
  • seventy-two.
  • long-term.
  • up-to-date.
  • mother-in-law.

Where do you hyphenate words?

The Hyphen

  • Use a hyphen at the end of a line to divide a word where there is not enough space for the whole word.
  • Use a hyphen to indicate a word spelled out letter by letter.
  • Use a hyphen to join two or more words to form compound adjectives that precede a noun.
  • Use a hyphen to avoid awkward doubling of vowels.

Are hyphenated words counted as one or two words?

The reason is quite simple—the generally accepted rule is that a compound word is always treated as a single word.So, once compound words are closed or hyphenated, they are counted as one word. If the compound word is open, e.g., “post office,” it is counted as two words.

Should daughter in law be hyphenated?

the hyphenated form, such as daughter-in-law, master-at-arms, over-the-counter, six-pack, six-year-old, mass-produced; and the open form, such as post office, real estate, middle class, full moon, half sister, attorney general.

Do you capitalize word after hyphen?

For hyphenated compounds, it recommends: Always capitalize the first element. Capitalize any subsequent elements unless they are articles, prepositions, coordinating conjunctions (and, but, for, or, nor), or such modifiers as flat or sharp following musical key symbols.

How do you automatically hyphenate in word?

Hyphenate text automatically

  1. On the Tools menu, click Hyphenation.
  2. Select the Automatically hyphenate document check box.
  3. In the Hyphenation zone box, enter the amount of space to leave between the end of the last word in a line and the right margin.

How do I automatically hyphenate a word document?

Use Word’s automatic hyphenation option to present your clients with a visually appealing document that displays evenly spaced words.

  1. Click the “Page Layout” tab and locate the Page Setup section.
  2. Click “Hyphenation” and then “Automatic.” The document text is hyphenated.

Should easy to use be hyphenated?

The way to solve the word placement competition is to treat the phrase “easy to use” as a single word. The hyphens join the more tightly bound phrase.

How do you use between words?

A slash or slant or solidus or virgule [ / ] (take your pick of names) is used to indicate a choice between the words it separates.

How do you write a hyphen?

To create a hyphen using a U.S. keyboard, press the hyphen key. It’s on the same key as the underscore ( _ ), to the right of the zero key. The hyphen is easier to use on the numeric keypad with math formulas.

Can a word be two words?

Compound words can be written in three ways: as open compounds (spelled as two words, e.g., ice cream), closed compounds (joined to form a single word, e.g., doorknob), or hyphenated compounds (two words joined by a hyphen, e.g., long-term). Sometimes, more than two words can form a compound (e.g., mother-in-law).

Should ramp up be hyphenated?

There are many compound words in our business that start and end in “up.” Examples:“Fill up,” “follow up” and “ramp up” are two words when used as a verb, but hyphenated as nouns or adjectives.

Is the word before a compound word?

Is before a compound word? “Before” is a compound word because, like the word “because,” it’s made up of the two words “be” and “fore.” “Fore” might not be a commonly used word today, but it is a word that means “placed in front.” So, it’s a closed compound word.

What do you call your son’s wife?

daughter-in-law
daughter-in-law
the wife of your son. You are her mother-in-law or father-in-law.

What is correct daughters in law or daughter in laws?

The plural form of daughter-in-law is daughters-in-law.In those days the daughters-in-law of a house and their fathers-in-law weren’t supposed to have any direct contact.

Who is considered a sister in law?

noun, plural sis·ters-in-law. the sister of one’s spouse. the wife of one’s brother or sister.

Should follow up be capitalized?

Editor’s Note: Follow-up as a noun is a hyphenated compound considered a single word (ie, it can be found as a single entry in Webster’s); therefore, only the F in Follow-up is capitalized (§10.2.

Do I capitalize after a colon?

When a colon introduces a list of things, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun. When a colon introduces a phrase or an incomplete sentence that is meant to add information to the sentence before it, do not capitalize the first word after the colon unless it is a proper noun.

Should full time be capitalized?

As an adjective, it follows the rules: Hyphenate it as a direct adjective; do not hyphenate it when it is not in front of the noun. … He has a full-time job.His job is full time.

Should best practice be hyphenated?

The phrase “the best practice” means simply “the preferred method,” and has been so used for a long time.In this sense, it effortlessly becomes a hyphenated adjective, as in “best-practices training.” The term didn’t become all that common even in the business press until 1990 or so.