Grammar: Hyphens and Suspensive Hyphenation
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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?

<p>Dr. John Smith</p> Signup and view all the answers

What term refers to a noun for a crowdfunding platform?

<p>Kickstarter</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>over-the-top</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>fourth-highest-paid</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>trade-in</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>safety net</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>spur-of-the-moment</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct hyphenation for 'newly discovered'?

<p>newly discovered</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>second test flight</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>highest-level</p> Signup and view all the answers

What phrase indicates the report on US cities?

<p>over- and undervalued</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

The phrase 'hand woven' requires hyphenation.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>data-based and results-oriented</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>get-rich-quick</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>70-30 male-to-female</p> Signup and view all the answers

A 4-year-old should include a hyphen.

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>life was easier</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>think-before-you-tweet</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>4,000-square-foot</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>give-and-take</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>second-largest</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>40-hour</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>four percent</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>seven-day</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>back-and-forth</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>better-known</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>100,000-square-foot</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

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

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

<p>29-33</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>revenue sharing</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>more effective</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>self-defense</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>twenty-one-year-old</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>climate-crisis</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>When added to a capitalized word or a number.</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>supertankers</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>anti-intellectual</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the correct way to write 'antebellum'?

<p>antebellum</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>pro-choice</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>multicultural</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>eighteen- or nineteen-year-old</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>pea- to walnut-sized</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>flu- or cold-related</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>action- and comedy-packed</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>three- or four-day holiday</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>eighth-grade</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>hang-up</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>university-wide</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>office workers</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>fastest-growing</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>near drowning</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>fifth grade</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>extra thick</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>one and a half hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>younger-looking</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>separation-of-church-and-state</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>test drive</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>get-together</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>Johnny-come-lately</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>world-class</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>well-known</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>barely conscious</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>deliriously happy</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>extra thick</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>eight and a half hours</p> Signup and view all the answers

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

<p>behind-the-scenes</p> 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.

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