USE OF HYPHENS

Hyphen is a punctuation mark (–) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text.

There are no fixed rules about the use of hyphens, but they are often used in these four situations:

1. In compound adjectives (especially those adjectives which are formed with -ed or a past participle):

full–sized  /  bad–tempered  /  black–eyed  /  home–made

2. A phrase with a numeral is used as an adjective in front of a noun:

The flat has one bed: a one–bed flat
The holiday is two days: a two–day holiday
The tie costs one hundred dollars: a hundred–dollar tie

3. In compound nouns:

table–top  /  drawing–board  /  make–up  /  coffee–pot

But when two short nouns are combined they often form one word without a hyphen (doormat, daylight), unless the combination would cause a problem of recognition (boat-house rather than boathouse).

MY ADVICE: If you are not sure whether to use a hyphen in a compound noun, please leave out the hyphen, or check in a dictionary.

4. With some prefixes:

mini–skirt  /  co–operate  /  ex–wife  /  non–smoker

COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

Adjectives which are made with combinations of two (or sometimes more) words are called compound adjectives:

good-looking   /   old-fashioned   /   three-day

These are some examples of compound adjectives taken from the article on the previous page. They are made with:

a. A present participle: self–cleansing

b. A word that ends in -ed: full–sized

c. A phrasal verb: fold–down

d. A numeral: one–bed

And now let us see how to turn the phrases below into the formula COMPOUND ADJECTIVE + NOUN:

a. A garden which is 10 metres long  >>   a ten–metre garden

b. A TV set which has broken down  >>   a broken–down TV set

c. A job which has lasted a long time  >>   a long–lasting job

d. A cake which was made at home  >>   a home–made cake

e. A test which takes two hours to do  >>   a two–hour test

f. A book which costs half as much as usual  >>   a half–price book

COMPOUND NOUNS

Nouns which are made with combinations of two or more words are called compound nouns:

teapot   /   washing-up   /   bubble bath

These are some examples of compound nouns taken from the article on the previous page. They are made with:

a. One word: doormat, washbasin, worktop, daylight.

b. With a hyphen (–): table-top, drawing-board, boat-house.

c. Two words: front door, business suits, central heating.

And now study what COMPOUND NOUNS these definitions refer to:

a. An alarm which warns you about a burglar  >>   a burglar alarm

b. A pan used to fry food  >>   a frying pan

c. Something used to open tins  >>   a tin–opener

d. A room where people eat meals  >>   a dining room

e. Your sister's husband  >>   your brother–in–law

f. A container where you throw waste paper  >>   a waste–paper basket

ADJECTIVE FORMATION

Many adjectives can be formed by adding a suffix to a noun or verb. This word formation table contains some words from the text.: