As I’ve stated in earlier posts, I am a fan of less is more when it comes to punctuation. Hyphens are an excellent example. Interestingly, The Chicago Manual of Style notes: “For some years now, the trend in spelling compound words has been away from the use of hyphens. There seems to be a tendency to spell compounds solid as soon acceptance warrants their being considered permanent compounds, and otherwise to spell them open.”
I’m sure this is true, but my experience in the business world is the opposite. Seems to me that writers, especially less experienced writers use hyphens as often as they can, regardless of whether they hurt or help comprehension. My hunch is they really don’t know when to use hyphens, so they just throw them in there to cover all bets. In their defense, the rules are not clear, and as with serial commas, there are many conflicting opinions and preferences. Hyphens can set even the nicest, most mild mannered (note no hyphen) writer’s teeth on edge. Mine included.
So, what is the function of a hyphen? One my of my favorite guides to writing is Bill Bryson’s Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words. In the appendix, Bryson answers the question simply and concisely: “The principal function of the hyphen is to reduce the chances of ambiguity.” He is also of the opinion, and I agree: “In general, hyphens should be dispensed with when they are not necessary.”
The following are some general guidelines from The Chicago Manual of Style and Margaret Schertzer’s, The Elements of Grammar, both tried and true resources that have served this writer well over the years:
- Use a hyphen between words forming a compound adjective before the noun they are modifying, such as “fast-sailing ship” [examples from The Chicago Manual of Style].
- Omit the hyphen when the first adjective modifies the whole noun phrase, such as “ fast sailing ship.” In this case “fast” is modifying “sailing ship.” I guess one could argue that in the case when “fast” is modifying the noun phrase “sailing ship” that “sailing ship” should be hyphenated to avoid confusion. Me, I would rewrite the sentence.
- Omit the hyphen in phrases that are not at risk of misreading, such as “much loved friend” [examples from The Elements of Grammar].
- Omit the hyphen when the compound adjective follows the noun.
- Omit the hyphen when one of the words is an adverb ending in “-ly”, such as “highly developed intelligence” or “fully balanced ration”.
- Omit the hyphen in proper nouns that are used as adjectives, such as “New England winters”.
- Use a hyphen in compound numerals, such as “forty-two”, and when using numerals with other words, such as “twenty-foot pole” or “150-yard dash.” I’m not sure about this one. Me, I’d leave out the hyphen, particularly if the meaning is clear without it. To be clear, I agree with hyphenating compound numerals.
- Use a hyphen in certain compounds made up of nouns and prepositional phrases, such as “sons-in-law” or “hand-to-hand”, but be careful, because they are many exceptions, such as “commander in chief” or “editor in chief”.
- Use a hyphen in titles that include “ex” or “elect”.
When in doubt, ask yourself if the use of the hyphen helps or hurts comprehension and write accordingly. If you’re still in doubt, rewrite the sentence.
I hope this helps. Let me know what you think and your preferences.
