One of the most common uses for the hyphen (-) is to connect
compound modifiers. A compound modifier
is a mix of two or more adjectives or adverbs that jointly modify the same
word. So, for example:
He is such a well-behaved boy.
The words well and
behaved work in tandem to modify boy. Well
clarifies the meaning of behaved, and
together they carry a new descriptive meaning. They are acting together as
though they were a single adjective. Here are some other examples:
“You think she
committed the murder? She’s a ninety-seven-year-old
woman, for heaven’s sake!”
“My hospital
takes a very patient-centered
approach to healthcare.”
“The creature had
a 50-foot wingspan!”
Note that in compound modifiers that involve numbers, a
hyphen is required whether you spell out the number or use numerals (so the
last example could also be fifty-foot;
but a hyphen is needed either way).
Part of the reason for this rule is to avoid potentially
confusing situations. For example:
“We met an
American football player in the pub last night.”
Did the speakers meet someone who plays American football, or did they meet a football player who is also American?
A hyphen can add clarification:
“We met an American-football player in the pub last
night.”
The hyphen lets us know that those two descriptors belong
together; thus, the answer is that the speakers met someone who plays American football.
"Man eating plant" vs. "Man-eating plant." |
Remember that you only hyphenate words that are working
together as a single adjective. So
the following usage would be incorrect:
“This might be
the most well-thought-out-and-over-detailed
plan I’ve ever seen.”
Well-thought-out and
over-detailed are two separate descriptions,
so the example should instead read:
“This might be
the most well-thought-out and over-detailed plan I’ve ever seen.”
Exceptions:
Sadly, it can’t just be that simple. There are a few exceptions
to the hyphenating-compound-modifiers rule.
First exception:
If the first word in the compound modifier is an adverb that ends in -ly, it is extremely unusual to hyphenate
the two words together.
He is such a poorly behaved boy.
Part of the
reason for this rule is to avoid potentially
confusing situations.
Second exception:
This rule only applies to compound modifiers that appear before the word they modify. If they appear after, they should not be hyphenated. Here’s what some of our
earlier examples would look like if the compound modifiers had appeared after
the word they modified:
“That boy is so well behaved.”
“You think she
committed the murder? That woman is ninety
seven years old, for heaven’s sake!”
“My hospital’s
approach to healthcare is very patient
centered.”
“The creature had
a wingspan of 50 feet!”
A lot of writers try unknowingly to overcomplicate what they are writing. Using the hyphen is one way to do that. Guilty!
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