Compound adjectives and nouns

Hyphens are often used to join separate words that function as single adjectives and come before nouns. Typical examples follow:

Howard is a very self-contained person.

The greenish-yellow cloud of chlorine gas drifted toward the village.

Betty’s devil-may-care attitude will land her in trouble someday.

When the first word of the compound is an adverb ending in –ly or when the compound adjective follows the noun it modifies, no hyphen is needed.

The badly burned crash victim was rushed to the hospital.

The colour of the chlorine gas was greenish yellow.

When two or more compound adjectives modify the same last term, the sentence will flow more smoothly if that term appears just once, after the last item in the series. The hyphens accompanying the earlier terms in the series are kept, however.

Many seventeenth-, eighteenth-, and nineteenth-century costumes are on display in this museum.

Hyphenated nouns include such expressions are the following:

Secretary-treasurer, sister-in-law, good-for-nothing, man-about-town

Denton is editor-in-chief of the largest newspaper in this state.

Compound numbers and word-number combinations

Hyphens are used to separate two-word numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and fractions that have been written out.

Marcy has worked twenty-one years for this company.

One-fourth of my income goes for rent.

Similarly, hyphens are used to separate numerals from units of measurement that follow them.

This chemical is shipped in 50-gallon drums.

Prefixes and suffixes

Although most prefixes are not hyphenated, the prefixes self- and all- do get hyphens, as does the suffix –elect. Also the prefix ex- is hyphenated when it accompanies a noun.

This stove has a self-cleaning oven.

Let Claire Voyant, the all-knowing soothsayer, read your future in her crystal ball.

Ethel is the chairperson-elect of the club.

Several ex-teachers work in this department.

A prefix before a capitalized term is always hyphenated.

The ex-FBI agent gave an interesting talk on the operations of that agency.

Preventing misreading and awkward combinations of letters and syllables

Hyphens help prevent misreading of certain words and also break up awkward combinations of letters and syllables between certain prefixes and suffixes and their core words.

The doctor re-treated the wound with a new antibiotic. (the hyphen prevents the misreading retreated)

The company plans to de-emphasize sales of agricultural chemicals. (the hyphen prevents the awkward repetition of the letter e in deemphasize)

Between syllables

Whenever you have to split a word between two lines, place a hyphen at the end of the first line to show the division. The word is always broken, and the hyphen inserted, between syllables. (Any good dictionary shows the syllable divisions of each word it includes.) Never divide a one-syllable word or leave two letters to be placed on the second line, even if those two letters constitute a syllable.

CAPITALIZATION

Proper nouns

A proper noun names one particular person, group of persons, place, or thing. Such nouns include the following:

Persons

Organizations

Racial, political, and religious groups

Countries, states, cities, and streets

Companies and buildings

Geographical locations and features

Days, months, and holidays

Trademarks

Languages

Ships and aircrafts

Abbreviations for academic degrees

Titles used in place of names

e.g. Sigmund works for the National Psychoanalytical Institute, an organization that has done much to advance the science of psychiatry.

Gwen Greene moved to Paris , France, when her father became the consul there.

Larry has a master of art degree, and his sister has a Ph.D.

My father works for the Ford Motor Company, but I work for Chrysler.

Do not capitalize words like institute, college, company, or avenue unless they form part of a proper name. Likewise, do not capitalize the names of courses unless they start a sentence, are accompanied by a course number, or designate a language.

I have a 95 average in Economics 112 but only a 73 average in sociology.

Harry plans to take intermediate German in his junior year.

Do you plan to attend Drew College or some other college?

Proper adjectives

Proper adjectives should be capitalized.

Lolita Martinez, our class valedictorian, is of Mexican ancestry. (Mexican is derived from the proper noun Mexico.)

Abbreviations

Capitalize abbreviations only if the words they stand for are capitalized.

Milton DeWitt works for the IRS. (IRS is capitalized because ‘Internal Revenue Service’ would ne.)

The flask holds 1,500 cc of liquid. (the abbreviation cc is not capitalized because ‘cubic centimeters’ would not be)

A few abbreviations are capitalized even though all or some of the words they stand for aren’t. (TV, VR).

Personal titles

Capitalize a personal title if it precedes a name or is used in place of a name. Otherwise, do not capitalize.

The division is under the command of General Arnold Schafer.

Tell me, Doctor, do I need an operation?

The dean of our Engineering Division is Dr. Alma Haskins.

Many writers capitalize titles of high rank when they are used in place of names.

The President will sign this bill tomorrow.

The president will sign this bill tomorrow.

Either usage is acceptable.

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