[Grammar] Hyphens

[Bondwriter]

I went to check how to hyphenate "a seventeen-year-old mother" which appeared in a recently posted story (a hug to she/ he who finds the story, chapter and author). It just looked weird, and we wondered about this problem with Jack Frost a few weeks back, and my search had not given much. So, here is what I found (with a better search): a blog entry from getitwriteonline.

 

Any editors/ betareaders/ authors want to comment the page? Does it fit what you knew already? This is a big problem in some stories (not gonna rat on anyone! ), and usually not a very important one, but since the explanation seemed to be clear, I thought I'd better post it.

 

BTW, the "seventeen-year-old mother" was hyphenated right if this page is to be believed.

[TalonRider]

This is one of the things that we will be covering in the workshop. But to answer your question, this is the information I have:

 

A hyphen is used primarily for word division or to join words to create a new word.

• The hyphen divides a word that cannot be completed at the end of a line.
  
• Hyphenate compound words that start with self, anti, ex, pro, mid, ect.
  
• Use a hyphen for a compound adjective when it comes before a noun it modifies.
  
• Use a hyphen for two nouns that refer to one person or when one thing has two functions.
  
• Use a hyphen for many compound nouns that have a single letter as their first element.
  
• Use a hyphen when a number and a noun form a compound modifier before another noun.
  
• Use a hyphen for compound adjectives involving a number and odd or plus.
  
• Use a hyphen for a compound adjective composed of one noun and one adjective.
  

Note: Use a hyphen when writing out numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine. Do not hyphenate hundreds, thousands, or millions.

 

Jan

[Empathy]

Glad to see this here, I never use hyphens, mostly I imagine because I don't know when to do so.

Gonna look up these rules a little further and try to remember them.

[Razor]

This, sadly, is a subject I don't know a lot of specific rules about, so I'll have to do some research before I say anything about it. I feel like such a failure of a grammar nazi!!!!! I do know that hyphens are kinda like an "and" when you're using a big, clumpy adjective, but other than that it's fuzzy for me. I just kind of avoid them since I'm not totally sure on how to use them (which is one of my rules, if you're not sure about it, leave it the hell alone. ).

[AFriendlyFace]

I just kind of avoid them since I'm not totally sure on how to use them (which is one of my rules, if you're not sure about it, leave it the hell alone. ).

An excellent strategy to employ not only for hyphens, but also for suspicious looking mushrooms and berries.

 

I occasionally use hyphens for stylistic effect. For example: "He was an intimidating sort of man. The type that seemed to radiate a look-at-me attitude." OR "As soon as Joan entered his office the manager knew he'd be hearing yet another I-need-a-raise speech."

 

Of course in both those examples I'm essentially lumping words together so that they become one adjectival unit modifying a noun. Still even then I'd prefer to lump them using quotation marks - even though I probably tend to overuse quotation marks in this way - or else just re-word (I guess this is another example of hyphen usage. "reword" is okay on it's own, but I think it looks better hyphenated) the sentence.

 

-Kevin

[sungod]

The book I use as my punctuation bible is Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. It's subtitled: "The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation". Highly recommended! There's a UK English version, and a North American English version. The North American English version includes a preface which addresses a few subtle differences British and American punctuation. The publisher of the North American English version is Gotham Books, and the paperback edition lists for $11.00. It's available from Amazon.com.

 

What's amazing about this book is that it is a joy to read, funny, insightful, and educational. That is not something I ever expected to say about a book on punctuation!

 

BTW, I have no relationship to the publisher or author (or, except as a debtor, to Amazon.com).

 

sungod

Edited September 15, 2007 by sungod

[Graeme]

I resisted for a long time in getting a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but when I finally did, I was very pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as mindless or anal as I had expected, and I found it a very entertaining read (believe it or not).

[BeaStKid]

Me thinks it should be ---> a seventeen year-old.

[colinian]

The book I use as my punctuation bible is Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss. It's subtitled: "The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation". Highly recommended! There's a UK English version, and a North American English version. The North American English version includes a preface which addresses a few subtle differences British and American punctuation. The publisher of the North American English version is Gotham Books, and the paperback edition lists for $11.00. It's available from Amazon.com.

 

What's amazing about this book is that it is a joy to read, funny, insightful, and educational. That is not something I ever expected to say about a book on punctuation!

 

BTW, I have no relationship to the publisher or author (or, except as a debtor, to Amazon.com).

 

sungod

 

I resisted for a long time in getting a copy of Eats, Shoots & Leaves, but when I finally did, I was very pleasantly surprised. It wasn't as mindless or anal as I had expected, and I found it a very entertaining read (believe it or not).

I have a copy of E,S&L, and IMO it should be on every writer's bookshelf. I read it in one sitting, laughing in lots of places. Lynne Truss has a very dry sense of humor (oops, sorry Graeme, humour). Anyone who can make the subject of punctuation funny is someone I'd love to meet!

 

And I got it from amazon.com, to which I am also a debtor! Sungod, that's funny and oh, so accurate!

 

Colin

[AFriendlyFace]

Ahh yes, I LOVE Eats, Shoots & Leaves! I'm almost tempted to re-read it, and I practically never re-read anything!

[BeaStKid]

Ahh yes, I LOVE Eats, Shoots & Leaves! I'm almost tempted to re-read it, and I practically never re-read anything!

Yup...I'm reading it as of now!!!