Grammar of the Week Hyphens

Rule 1: Use a hyphen between a prefix and a proper noun or proper adjective. pre-Babylonian, anti-American, or pro-Western Rule 2: Use a hyphen to connect two or more nouns that are used as one word lady-in-waiting, great-grandmother, father-in-law, secretary-treasurer

Rule 3: Use a hyphen to connect a compound adjective that comes before a noun. a well-deserved vacation, a once-in-a-lifetime change, the well-disciplined child, an easy-going man Rule 4: Do not use a hyphen in a compound word when one of the words ends in –ly or a compound proper adjective. WRONG: clearly-written RIGHT: clearly written WRONG: Eastern-European RIGHT: Eastern European

Rule 5: Use a hyphen when writing out the numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine. A fraction used as an adjective needs a hyphen. A fraction used as a noun does not need a hyphen. A two-thirds majority is needed to pass the law. Two thirds of the earth is covered with water.

Rule 6: Use a hyphen to show a word has been broken into syllables and continued on the next line If this box were a piece of paper, the words on this page would be bro- en between syllables. This is an ex- ample.

Practice in pre Columbian South America a well written paper seventy five people the quickly written paper in this post war era her long winded speech