Punctuation Marks: Hyphen

Hyphen (-)

The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes (‒, –, —, ―), which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign (−) which is also longer.

 Ø  Using in English

· Prefix

Certain prefixes (co-, pre-, mid-, de-, non-, anti-, self- and so on) may or may not be hyphenated. Many long-established words, such as preamble, degrade, and prefix, do not require a hyphen since the prefix is viewed as fully fused. Hyphen is also used between prefix and proper noun (capitalized), such as pro-American, non-English, and ex-President. “Hyphens may be employed where readers would otherwise be tempted into a mispronunciation such as co-worker which is separated to prevent the reader’s eyes being caught by the word cow” (Wikipedia, 2013). Some prefixed words are hyphenated to distinguish them from other words that would otherwise be homographs, such as recreation (fun or sport) and re-creation (the act of creating again).

· Joining words to show the meaning are linked

Use a hyphen to join words to show that their meaning is linked in some way, such as book-case (or bookcase), race-horse (or racehorse), and pick-me-up.

 

· Compound modifiers before Noun

Use a hyphen to make compound modifiers before nouns:

-        A blue-eyed boy (but The boy was blue eyed)

-        The well-known actor (but The actor is well known)

-        Their four-year-old son (but Their son is four years old)

· Suspended hyphen

Use a hyphen with "suspended compounds". When we use several very similar compounds together, it may not be necessary to repeat the last part of the compound.

For example:

-        They need to employ more full- and part-time staff. (not They need to employ more full-time and part-time staff)

-        This rule applies only to 12-, 13- and 14-year olds. (not This rule applies only to 12-year olds, 13-year olds and 14-year olds)

-        Nineteenth- and twentieth-century (not Nineteenth-century and twentieth-century)

· Number 21 to 99

Use a hyphen when writing numbers 21 to 99, and fractions. For example: twenty-one, one hundred and sixty-five, and two-thirds.

· Hyphenation

            Use a hyphen to show that a word has been broken at the end of a line. For example:

      The directors requested that a more conve-
      nient time be arranged.


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Sources:

Cooper, T., Fallas, J., & Flaherty, F. (2011). English Style Guide: Seventh edition. European Commission.

Englishclub.com. (2013). Punctuation. Retrieved from http://www.englishclub.com/writing/punctuation.htm.

Phythian, B. A. (2012). Correct English: Pedoman Belajar Bahasa Inggris. Jakarta : PT. Indeks.

       Wikipedia. (2013). Punctuation. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Punctuation.