Hyphens
Jared Aragona
Hyphens: Use a hyphen to connect compound nouns or compound adjectives that come before nouns. Do not use hyphens with compound adjectives that come after nouns.
Use a hyphen to connect compound adjectives that come before nouns
They went to a well-traveled trail that was too crowded.
She ate a plant-based diet for the entire year.
Do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun.
The guidebook was right about the trail being well traveled.
Every item in her pantry was plant based.
Use a hyphen to connect compound nouns.
His comic book featured a beast known as the man-pig.
My father-in-law knows how to perform taxidermy.
Use a hyphen to connect numbers and fractions.
When Abraham turned fifty-five, he decided it was time to marry.
My DNA test showed that I’m one-eighth East Asian.
Use a hyphen to connect prefixes like self-, all-, and ex- to their root words.
Francis needed to build his self-esteem before he could wear those pants.
His ex-wife dangled the car keys in front of his face.
Mark never stopped his quest for the all-powerful coffee bean.
The MLCKRB (Master List Code Key and Rule Book): An English Grammar & Style Handbook by Jared Aragona, CC BY 4.0