Hyphens
1. Use a hyphen with compound adjectives. A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives work together to modify the same noun. These terms should be hyphenated to avoid confusion or ambiguity.Incorrect: The black and blue mark suggested that he had been involved in an altercation.Correct: The black-and-blue mark suggested that he had been involved in an altercation.
Incorrect: Her fifteen minute presentation proved decisive in the outcome of the case.
Correct: Her fifteen-minute presentation proved decisive in the outcome of the case.
2. Do not use a hyphen after an adverb.
Combining an adverb (usually a word ending in "ly") and an adjective does
not create a compound adjective. No hyphen is required because it is already
clear that the adverb modifies the adjective rather than any subsequent
term.
Incorrect: The remarkably-hot day turned into a remarkably-long week.Correct: The remarkably hot day turned into a remarkably long week.
3. Do not use a hyphen when the compound
modifier appears after the noun it modifies.
Incorrect: The language, which was gender-neutral, impressed the judge and her law clerks.Correct: The language, which was gender neutral, impressed the judge and her law clerks.
Also Correct:
The gender-neutral language impressed the judge and her law clerks.
4. Do not hyphenate proper names
or titles. You should not place a hyphen in a compound adjective if the
adjectives are capitalized, such as when they are part of a title.
Correct: His book was entitled, "Gender Neutral Language in English Usage," and it revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.
However: His book on gender-neutral language revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.
Correct: The students were participants in Chicago-Kent's vaunted Legal Research and Writing Program.Also Correct:
The student decided to attend a school with a good legal-research-and-writing program. Note that in this example, the reference is to a type of program, rather than a specific program, and so the use of hyphens is proper.
5. If it is unavoidable, you may use a hyphen to divide a word at the end of a line of text. However, it is better to place the whole word on one line if that approach would not result in leaving a large space. If you need to use a hyphen, be sure to use it after a complete syllable, never in the middle of a syllable. You may want to check a dictionary for the proper syllable breakdown. (Please also note that one should never split a word at the end of a page; if necessary, move the entire word to the top of the next page.)
Undesirable:
Students of all backgrounds often underestimate the time needed to cre-
ate a professional memorandum or brief.
Better:
Students of all backgrounds often underestimate the time needed to
create a professional memorandum or brief.
Undesirable:
The longest word listed in her new dictionary was
antidisestablishmentarianism.
Better:
The longest word listed in her new dictionary was antidisestablish-
mentarianism.
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