Understanding the Uses of Hyphens
The hyphen ( ‐ ) is a punctuation mark that should not be confused with dashes ( ― ), which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign ( − ), which is also longer.
The hyphen has basically four uses: to divide a word at the end of a line, to create compound words, to separate numbers and fractions, and to separate certain words from their prefixes.
Hyphens are used to separate some compound and improvised compound words. You can also use them to separate vowels.
Some examples include:
If a compound word comes BEFORE a noun functioning as an adjective then you would use a hyphen.
I like fast-acting medication.
He’s in a long-term relationship
She’s a friendly-looking woman
The boy threw a rock out the second-story window.
If a hyphenated adjective comes AFTER the noun you would not include the hyphen.
I took some medication was fast acting.
I think the woman is friendly looking.
Use a hyphen to separate numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine.
The girls is twenty-five years old.
The class holds thirty-two children.
Use a hyphen for all spelled out fractions.
Two-thirds
One-fourth
Use a hyphen for certain prefixes.
Co-payment
Hyper-active
Semi-automatic
Use hyphens to prevent initial misreading or mispronunciation.
Re-cover vs recover (Will re-cover the sofa? I will recover from the flu.)
Re-lay vs relay (Could you relay a message for me? They will re-lay the tiles.)
Re-lease vs release (Will you re-lease the apartment? Will they release the hostages?)
Test yourself
1. Tonight, the chef is following a time tested recipe.
2. He is a well known chef for many Hollywood parties.
3. The waiter’s off color remarks did not amuse anyone at the table.
4. The book Martian Chronicles has twenty two chapters.
5. The chef cooks twenty four course meals every week.
6. The chef adds two thirds of a cup of flour and one half teaspoon of vanilla.
7. It is said that possession is nine tenths of the law.
8. The teacher assigned a 10 page paper for us to write.
9. Mary said her exhusband’s father would always be a part of the family.
10. Heather’s mom thinks she lacks selfconfidence.
11. Kevin was an allstate running back during his senior year in high school.
We hope this has helped. Information sited from http://cms.cerritos.edu/uploads/sc/DLAs/G035.1_Punctuation_5_-_How_to_Use_Hyphens.pdf