1. The Hyphen Created by Kathryn Reilly

2. Hyphen Background The hyphen is a punctuation mark that looks like this - The hyphen’s purpose is to connect words – Written numbers, including fractions – Compound words – Prefixes, especially to eliminate confusion over meaning

3. Hyphens and Numbers Hyphenate compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety- nine. After 100, write numbers in numerical form. Hyphenate fractions. Examples I have eighty-one reggae songs on my I-pod. Two-thirds of those songs are by Bob Marley!

4. Hyphens and Adjectives Hyphenate compound adjectives Examples I’m applying for part-time summer jobs. I have to write an eight-page report!

5. Hyphens and Prefixes Hyphenate prefixes that precede proper nouns. Examples A dictatorship would be un-American. The Afro-American Music Institute is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

6. Hyphens to Clarify Meaning Hyphenate if the reader could become confused regarding the sentence’s meaning. Examples I hope you recover quickly from the surgery! Here, recover means to regain one’s strength Can you help me re-cover these dining room chairs? Here, re-cover means to cover the chairs with new fabric

7. Hyphen Resources Hyphens can be a tricky punctuation mark. – Consult a print or online dictionary. – Conduct a web search with key phrases: Hyphen rules Hyphen punctuation Using hyphens