Punctuation III: Hyphens in Compound Words

I’ve already talked about the hyphen versus the en dash and now I will look at the hyphen in more detail, concentrating on the use of the hyphen in compound words.

Hyphens in compound words

Compound words may consist of two separate words, two words that are hyphenated, or they may have become one word through common usage. Compound words which risk being mispronounced if joined together take a hyphen (e.g. drip-proof, hat-trick). Hyphens are also used to signify an abstract rather than a literal interpretation (e.g. crow’s-feet).

When compound words modify a noun, the rules are as follows:

• Preceding the noun: hyphenate (e.g. I once owned a long-haired cat)
• Following the noun: do not hyphenate (e.g. The cat I once owned was long haired)
  

Ensure you fully understand the description you are proofreading, because a single hyphen can completely change the meaning:

• A stainless steel table is a spotlessly clean table which is made of steel
• A stainless-steel table is a table made of stainless steel
  

Do not hyphenate compounds which use an adverb ending in ‘-ly’ (e.g. They are a happily married couple).

When there is a gerund involved, use a hyphen, as the construction is describing rather than modifying something (e.g. The goat I once owned was a sun-loving goat).

There are some exceptions to the compound words rule: for example, you should not hyphenate capitalised words (e.g. I just can’t read those Old Testament stories); similarly, it is not necessary to hyphenate technical terms (e.g. liquid crystal display).

If in doubt, check in the dictionary!

Capitalisation

As I mainly proofread educational resources which contain a lot of terminology and vocabulary that is important for students to learn, I find myself using the ‘change capital letters to lower case letters’ symbol a lot! This has prompted me to look at the rules regarding capitalisation.

When to Capitalise

• The pronoun ‘I’

• The beginning of a new sentence

• The first letters of the names of people, places, days, months, special days (e.g. New Year’s Day), historical eras (e.g. the Renaissance) and their derivatives (e.g. Scandinavian), but not seasons (e.g. spring)

• The first letters of the main words of titles of books, newspapers, etc. (e.g. The Times, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

• The first letters of the main words of the titles of institutions (e.g. the Houses of Parliament) and people when they precede the name (e.g. President Obama), or when they are directly addressed (e.g. ‘Can you help me, Doctor?’)

• In abbreviations (e.g. UK)

• Points of the compass when they refer to a specific region (e.g. ‘My cousin is visiting from the South’, but not, e.g. ‘When you get to the end of the road, head south’)

With words like act, president and government it can be confusing when trying to remember when to capitalise and when not to. The important thing to recognise is whether you are talking in general or specific terms. See below.

General

1. My ambition is to become the president of a big company.
2. One of the functions of government is to keep order.
3. Which, in your opinion, is the pivotal act of the play?

Specific

1. President Bush won over 50% of the popular vote.
2. The Government has ploughed billions into the banks.
3. Prospero’s speech comes at the close of Act IV.