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Questions and Answers
How should the word 'beginner' be divided?
How should the word 'beginner' be divided?
A word that ends in -le typically divides with the consonant before -le in a separate syllable.
A word that ends in -le typically divides with the consonant before -le in a separate syllable.
True
What is the correct syllable division for the word 'collect'?
What is the correct syllable division for the word 'collect'?
col-lect
The word 'traffic' divides into _____.
The word 'traffic' divides into _____.
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Match the words with their correct syllable divisions:
Match the words with their correct syllable divisions:
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What is the primary rule regarding dividing words?
What is the primary rule regarding dividing words?
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It is acceptable to divide one-syllable words.
It is acceptable to divide one-syllable words.
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What should you do when in doubt about word division?
What should you do when in doubt about word division?
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Do NOT divide a one-letter syllable at the _____ or the end of a word.
Do NOT divide a one-letter syllable at the _____ or the end of a word.
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When dividing a word, at least how many characters should remain on the upper line?
When dividing a word, at least how many characters should remain on the upper line?
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Match the word with its correct division method:
Match the word with its correct division method:
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Avoid dividing any word with fewer than _____ letters.
Avoid dividing any word with fewer than _____ letters.
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It is acceptable to divide abbreviations.
It is acceptable to divide abbreviations.
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What is the preferred method of dividing a word that contains a prefix?
What is the preferred method of dividing a word that contains a prefix?
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It is acceptable to divide the word 'interrogate' as in-ter-rogate.
It is acceptable to divide the word 'interrogate' as in-ter-rogate.
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What should be the division point for the word 'helplessness'?
What should be the division point for the word 'helplessness'?
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Divide the word 'reinvest' at the appropriate point: re-______.
Divide the word 'reinvest' at the appropriate point: re-______.
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Match the following words with their preferred division points:
Match the following words with their preferred division points:
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Which division of 'ambidextrous' would be considered confusing?
Which division of 'ambidextrous' would be considered confusing?
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The word 'reinvent' should be divided as rein-vent.
The word 'reinvent' should be divided as rein-vent.
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What is the preferred division of the word 'international'?
What is the preferred division of the word 'international'?
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Where can a break occur in a street name consisting of two or more words?
Where can a break occur in a street name consisting of two or more words?
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A city name can be divided from a state name.
A city name can be divided from a state name.
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What should be preferred for breaking a person's name?
What should be preferred for breaking a person's name?
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A sentence with a _______ in it may be broken after the dash.
A sentence with a _______ in it may be broken after the dash.
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Match the punctuation mark with its usage:
Match the punctuation mark with its usage:
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Which is the correct syllabication for the word 'children'?
Which is the correct syllabication for the word 'children'?
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A numbered enumeration may be broken directly after the number.
A numbered enumeration may be broken directly after the number.
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What is an example of correct syllabication for the word 'product'?
What is an example of correct syllabication for the word 'product'?
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Which of the following words is correctly divided?
Which of the following words is correctly divided?
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Do you divide between two vowels representing one sound?
Do you divide between two vowels representing one sound?
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What is the appropriate division for the word 'cooperate'?
What is the appropriate division for the word 'cooperate'?
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When dividing a long number, always divide after a _____ .
When dividing a long number, always divide after a _____ .
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Match the following examples with their division rules:
Match the following examples with their division rules:
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Where should the last word be when dividing lines?
Where should the last word be when dividing lines?
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You should try to end more than two consecutive lines with hyphens.
You should try to end more than two consecutive lines with hyphens.
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What should you use between elements of a word group that should not be broken?
What should you use between elements of a word group that should not be broken?
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Study Notes
Syllable Division Rules
- Electronic dictionaries may not always agree on word division.
- Regularly review electronic word divisions and adjust as needed.
- Avoid dividing words at the end of lines whenever possible.
- Divide words between syllables. When unsure, consult a dictionary.
- Do not divide one-syllable words, even if "-ed" is added.
- Example: stress/stressed, through/through, spring/spring, rhythm/rhythm, planned/planned
- Do not divide one-letter syllables at the beginning or end of a word, e.g. amaze (not a-maze), media (not medi-a), idea (not i-dea). Some dictionaries omit these now.
- Use a hard hyphen, not a soft one when typing words like e-mail to avoid dividing the word after the "e".
- Do not split a word unless you can leave at least three characters of a syllable on the top line, and similarly leave at least three characters of the next syllable on the bottom line.
- Avoid dividing words with fewer than six letters.
- Do not divide abbreviations. (e.g., ACTION, UNICEF, AMVETS, NASDAQ)
- Do not divide contractions (e.g., haven't, shouldn't).
Basic Rules
- Divide compound words where it's meant to separate components, and hyphenated compound words at the hyphen. Eg., eye-witness, time-saving, photo-copy, base-ball, self-confidence.
- Divide words after a prefix, rather than within the prefix. Example (Preferred/Acceptable)
- intro-/troduce
- inter-/in-
- national/international
- super-/ter-/national
- Avoid confusing divisions (Avoid/Better). Example:
- inter-/in- (e.g., interrogate/terrogate)
- super-/su- (e.g., super/terrogation)
- Put the suffix before the root word (not in the middle), and consider the division to be the most intelligible grouping of syllables possible.
- Examples (preferred/not preferred): applicable/applica-ble, comprehensive/comprehensi-ble, encouragement/en-couragement.
- When dividing, divide after a prefix or before a suffix, rather than within the root word. Eg., over-active, succesful. (rather than overactive or succ-essful).
- When a one-letter syllable occurs in the root of a word, divide after it (not before). Eg. imperative, pen-etrate, similar, congratulate.
- If two or more separate vowels come together in a word, divide between the separate vowels.
- Examples: recreation, mediation, proactive, situated.
- Do not divide between vowels when they are used together to represent one sound. Examples: maintain, treasurer, encroaching, ac-quaint.
- If splitting is necessary, ensure the number remains as separate parts, for example, 24,358, -692,000, and when possible, follow the rules to ensure there are at least 4 digits on the line above and 6 digits on the next.
Preferred Practices
- It is often better to divide in more meaningful points than where suggested by dictionaries.
- Use divisions based on syllable groupings which provide the most intelligible groupings of words (preferred grouping).
Breaks Within Word Groups
- Try to avoid separating items in word groups that belong together. For example, name, number, city, etc. and month and year etc should usually be put on the same line.
- Insert hard spaces if necessary.
Further Rules
- When necessary, divide long numbers after a comma; try to keep at least 4 digits above, and 6 digits below.
- Avoid two consecutive line ends with hyphens, and avoid dividing the last word on a page.
- A sentence divided by a dash should be broken after the dash.
- If splitting is necessary, preferably segment a sentence after a period/ellipsis.
- When there are double consonants, before suffixes, divide after them. For example, sellers, staffing, blessing, buzzers.
- If there are double consonants within a root word but before a suffix, divide between the two consonants if adding the suffix creates an extra syllable. Examples: beginning, omitted, shipping, referral.
- Divide words between consonants when there are two consonants between two pronounced vowels. Eg; pic-ture, sen-tence, in-vent.
- If a single consonant comes between two vowels, and the first vowel is long / accented, the consonant goes with the second vowel e.g., si-lent, fo-cus.
- If a single consonant comes between two vowels, and the first vowel is short / accented, the consonant stays with the first vowel. Eg., piv-ot, met-al, mag-ic.
- When the word ends in -le, the consonant before the -le forms a syllable. Eg. hum-ble, sta-ble, un-cle.
- Syllabication is based on pronunciation, not root words. Example; knowledge/knowl-edge and children/chil-dren.
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Description
Test your understanding of syllable division rules with this quiz. It covers guidelines for dividing words, including exceptions for one-syllable words and proper hyphen usage. Review key concepts to improve your word division skills.
