How do you correctly use a hyphen?

How do you correctly use a hyphen?

The Hyphen

  1. Use a hyphen at the end of a line to divide a word where there is not enough space for the whole word.
  2. Use a hyphen to indicate a word spelled out letter by letter.
  3. Use a hyphen to join two or more words to form compound adjectives that precede a noun.
  4. Use a hyphen to avoid awkward doubling of vowels.

Is all female hyphenated?

Prescriptively, words like all-female, semi-sweet, French-born, multi-coloured (and, indeed, “non-needed”, because there is no such word as “non”) et al must be hyphenated: “Gaston Leclerc is a French born Peruvian astrologer” tries to mean that he is French, and he was born, and he is Peruvian.

Why do we hyphenate words?

Hyphens’ main purpose is to glue words together. They notify the reader that two or more elements in a sentence are linked. Although there are rules and customs governing hyphens, there are also situations when writers must decide whether to add them for clarity.

Is female a boy or a girl?

The word female comes from the Latin femella, the diminutive form of femina, meaning “woman”; it is not etymologically related to the word male, but in the late 14th century the spelling was altered in English to parallel the spelling of male. Female can refer to either sex or gender, or even the shape of connectors.

Do you put a space after a hyphen?

A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.

Is there a space before hyphen?

When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash. Some word-processing programs have a mark called an em-dash (longer than a hyphen), which can be used with no space before or after it.

What is the difference between a hyphen and an em-dash?

A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—).

When should a word be hyphenated?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two or more words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It’s impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.

Do you hyphenate type?

Always use a hyphen with suffixes “-type,” “-elect,” and “-designate.” (Examples: “president-elect”, “bold-type”). The suffix “-like” is hyphenated if: The root word is three or more syllables (e.g., emulsion-like, factory-like)

Where does the baby come out of a woman?

The baby is pushed out of the uterus, through the cervix, and along the birth canal. The baby’s head usually comes first. The umbilical cord comes out with the baby. It’s clamped and cut close to the navel after the baby is delivered.