Many student writers are unsure when to use a hyphen. Don't feel bad about this; some experienced writers are unsure of exactly how the hyphen works, as some of rules for its use are a bit murky. There is disagreement among writers, and you'll even see contradictions among different dictionaries.
What's a Hyphen?
First of all, it's important to know what a hyphen is. A hyphen looks like a minus sign (-) and is not to be confused with a dash, which is longer. Dashes are used to separate parts of a sentence, while hyphens are used within words themselves. Here are some basic ways that hyphens are used, to help you on your way to proper hyphenating.
After Prefixes
A hyphen is often used after prefixes, in words such as anti-establishment, re-elect and co-dependent. The tricky part here is that the hyphen is not always necessary; some words formed with a prefix do not require a hyphen, such as cooperate and preschool. When in doubt as to whether or not to use a hyphen, it's a good idea to check a dictionary.
One time when it's always necessary to use a hyphen after a prefix is when omitting it would cause confusion with another word. For example:
As you can see, omitting the hyphen in this case would change the meaning of your sentence.
Forming Compound Words
When joining two words to make a single word, we often use a hyphen. Some examples are: merry-go-round, well-read, check-in, and warm-up. Again, there is much debate as to when hyphens should be used. Many formerly hyphenated compounds are now considered correct without a hyphen. When in doubt, consult your dictionary.
When there is more than one compound word in a row, it is correct to use a suspended hyphen. For example, "The first-graders and second-graders went on a field trip," could be written as, "The first- and second-graders went on a field trip."
In Numbers
Hyphens are used when writing out numbers, such as "twenty-seven" or "four-hundred-thirty-two." They are also used in fractions, such as "one-third" or "four-fifths."
In Justified Text
When using justified type, or when you're writing longhand, hyphens are used to break up words that don't fit at the end of a line. When used in this way, the hyphen is always placed between syllables in the word. For example, the word "rodent" would be divided "ro-dent" and not "rod-ent."
While the iffy rules of hyphen use can make it tricky to know when you are correct, it also means that there is a little room for writers to use their own preference. Every writer should have a good dictionary on hand to consult, just to make sure you're following the commonly accepted rules.
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