Grammar: Hyphens and Suspensive Hyphenation

Questions and Answers

What could Colorado's free-birth-control experiment do?

Change the world

The _______ elephant is just too ill to eat anymore.

37-year-old

The phrase 'younger looking eyes' is correctly hyphenated.

False

Who should you visit for younger-looking eyes?

Dr. John Smith Signup and view all the answers

What term refers to a noun for a crowdfunding platform?

Kickstarter Signup and view all the answers

What is the hyphenated form of 'over the top' when used as a phrasal adjective?

over-the-top Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct adjective form describing the San Francisco Giants' payroll rank?

fourth-highest-paid Signup and view all the answers

How is 'trade in' hyphenated when used as a noun?

trade-in Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct term for 'safety-net' as it appears in community health centers?

safety net Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenated form for 'spur of the moment'?

spur-of-the-moment Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'on and offscreen' in relation to Jones's relationship with Smith is correct.

True Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'newly discovered'?

newly discovered Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct phrase for the projected X Prize test flight?

second test flight Signup and view all the answers

What hyphenation indicates the meetings of North Korea and South Korea were at their highest level?

highest-level Signup and view all the answers

What phrase indicates the report on US cities?

over- and undervalued Signup and view all the answers

The term 'right of way' is hyphenated in all contexts.

False Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'hand woven' requires hyphenation.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct term for the company's viewpoint on performance culture?

data-based and results-oriented Signup and view all the answers

What is the proper hyphenation for 'get rich quick'?

get-rich-quick Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to refer to the staff ratio at Apple?

70-30 male-to-female Signup and view all the answers

A 4-year-old should include a hyphen.

False Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for the phrase 'life was easier'?

life was easier Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'think before you tweet'?

think-before-you-tweet Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct phrase when referring to the parking lot size?

4,000-square-foot Signup and view all the answers

How is the term 'give and take' correctly hyphenated?

give-and-take Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct term for the second largest product category at Apple?

second-largest Signup and view all the answers

How is '40 hour' hyphenated when describing a debate?

40-hour Signup and view all the answers

What is the proper hyphenation for a percentage of adults potentially having ADHD?

four percent Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'a seven day week'?

seven-day Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to hyphenate 'back and forth exchanges'?

back-and-forth Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'better known rivals'?

better-known Signup and view all the answers

What is the proper way to phrase '100,000 square feet'?

100,000-square-foot Signup and view all the answers

'Science fiction' requires a hyphen when used in descriptions.

False Signup and view all the answers

How is '5-foot-1' hyphenated in relation to a duration?

5 1/2-hour Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'in cities like the Netherlands'?

29-33 Signup and view all the answers

What is the proper term for 'Apple's revenue-sharing agreement'?

revenue sharing Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'more-effective'?

more effective Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'self defense'?

self-defense Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'twenty-one-year old'?

twenty-one-year-old Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'climate crisis'?

climate-crisis Signup and view all the answers

When is a hyphen required with compounds created by the addition of a prefix?

When added to a capitalized word or a number. Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'super tankers'?

supertankers Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'anti intellectual'?

anti-intellectual Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'antebellum'?

antebellum Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'pro choice'?

pro-choice Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'multi cultural'?

multicultural Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'eighteen or nineteen year old'?

eighteen- or nineteen-year-old Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'pea to walnut sized'?

pea- to walnut-sized Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'flu or cold related'?

flu- or cold-related Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'action and comedy packed'?

action- and comedy-packed Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'three or four day holiday'?

three- or four-day holiday Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'eighth grade'?

eighth-grade Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'hang up'?

hang-up Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'university wide'?

university-wide Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'office workers'?

office workers Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'fastest growing'?

fastest-growing Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'near drowning'?

near drowning Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'fifth grade'?

fifth grade Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'extra thick'?

extra thick Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'one and a half hours'?

one and a half hours Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'younger looking'?

younger-looking Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'separation of church and state'?

separation-of-church-and-state Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'test drive'?

test drive Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'get together'?

get-together Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'Johnny come lately'?

Johnny-come-lately Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'world class'?

world-class Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'well known'?

well-known Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'barely conscious'?

barely conscious Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'barely happy'?

deliriously happy Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'extra thick comforter'?

extra thick Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'cargo plane eight and a half hours'?

eight and a half hours Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'exclusive behind the scenes footage'?

behind-the-scenes Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Hyphenation Rules

Adverbs preceding adjectives, such as "more effective," are not hyphenated (correct: more effective).
"Self" prefixed noun phrases and phrasal adjectives, such as "self-defense," always require hyphenation.
References to educational levels are hyphenated only when they precede a noun (e.g., "sixth-grade curriculum").
Age-related expressions like "twenty-one-year-old" require hyphenation for clarity, as "old" modifies the age.
Noun phrases like "climate crisis" should be hyphenated when they modify a noun, as in "climate-crisis demonstration."

Prefixes and Hyphenation

Compounds formed by adding prefixes (e.g., "anteroom") typically do not use hyphens unless the prefix attaches to a capitalized word or number (e.g., un-American).
Hyphenation is needed to prevent confusion with identical vowels, as in "anti-intellectual."
Adding a prefix to a proper noun or capitalized term requires hyphenation (e.g., "pre-Civil War").

Suspensive Hyphenation

Use suspensive hyphenation when a phrase spans two elements modifying a noun (e.g., "eighteen- or nineteen-year-old").
Full forms should not link parts of ranges when writing (e.g., "pea- to walnut-sized").

Compound Nouns and Adjectives

Open compounds, like "office workers," do not require hyphenation.
Hyphens are necessary for compound descriptors preceding nouns, such as "world-class" or "well-known."
The phrasal adjectives "extra thick" and "over the top" should be hyphenated as they describe nouns.

Specific Cases

Certain expressions need hyphenation when they convey nuanced meanings (e.g., "younger-looking eyes").
The expression "safety net" is not hyphenated, while "care-delivery model" requires hyphenation to modify the noun.
The term "trade-in" serves as a noun and requires a hyphen, whereas as a verb, it is open.

Adverb Usage and Hyphens

An adverb ending in -ly should not hyphenate with the adjective it modifies (e.g., "barely conscious").
When two identical vowels appear in prefixes, use hyphens to aid readability (e.g., "anti-immigration").

Miscellaneous

Consider clarity and function when hyphenating, avoiding unnecessary complexity in phrases.
Use hyphenated forms to ensure combined meanings are recognized when they form parts of larger constructs.### Hyphenation Rules
Phrasal adjectives should be hyphenated when they precede nouns, e.g., "spur-of-the-moment sessions."
When a phrasal adjective follows the noun it modifies, such as "well documented," hyphenation is not necessary.
Use suspensive hyphenation carefully; it allows omission of repeated words for clarity, e.g., "on- and offscreen buddy."

Adverb and Prefix Guidelines

Adverbs like "newly" should not be hyphenated when modifying nouns, as in "newly discovered writings."
Prefix "anti" is hyphenated when followed by a proper noun, e.g., "anti-Semitism," but not with common nouns, like "antioxidant."

Mixed Fractions and Numeric Ranges

Avoid hyphens in mixed fractions; use them to connect numerical references, e.g., "5 1/2-hour spacewalk."
Number ranges should be connected with "to," not hyphens, as in "between 29 and 33 hours."

Compound Nouns and Adjectives

Terms like "science fiction" are open compounds and do not require hyphenation.
Use hyphenation for compound nouns that are single terms, e.g., "give-and-take."

Specific Phrasal Adjective Uses

Phrasal adjectives like "think-before-you-tweet" should be hyphenated to clarify meaning.
Age references with "year" and "old" must be hyphenated as in "37-year-old."
The phrase "better known" should be hyphenated before nouns like "rivals" to modify as a unit.

Clarifying Phrasings

Use hyphens in phrases like "data-based" and "results-oriented" to show they modify a noun together, e.g., "performance culture."
Adjectives combining "male" and "female" in context, e.g., "male-to-female staff ratio," need hyphens for clarity.
Avoid incorrect usage of "40 hour," modifying "debate," which should be hyphenated to "40-hour debate."

Summary of Key Definitions

Hyphenate phrases like "extra-thick" or "younger-looking" when they act as modifiers in context.
Compound adjectives like "back-and-forth" clarify meanings in phrases describing specific exchanges.
Use descriptive phrases with appropriate hyphenation to avoid confusion in complex descriptions, such as "free-birth-control experiment."

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Test your understanding of hyphen usage and suspensive hyphenation with these flashcards. Each card presents a statement highlighting correct and incorrect applications of hyphens in grammar. Strengthen your grasp of proper punctuation with this quiz.