Hyphens are often used to tell the ages of people and things. In your physics example, 450 is simply a number, not part of a compound adjective. Its a refresher for experts, a reference for lay people, and a lesson plan for teachers. Jan 01, 1997 the blue book of grammar and punctuation is filled with easytounderstand rules, realworld examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre and posttests. Hyphens with the prefix re grammar and punctuation.
Dec 14, 2012 if the adjectives come after the noun, then they dont need a hyphen. All it takes is the blue book of grammar and punctuation. In general, twoword descriptions are hyphenated before a noun powderblue dress, redhaired cousin, welldone hamburger. Use a hyphen in a sentence to connect two words that function together as a modifier, if there are a series of modifiers, and with numbers and fractions.
If you go to the latest updates to the blue book of grammar and punctuation on our website hyphens, rule 6, you will find that we have included en dashes in the discussion. Blue hyphen is an independent firm dedicated to providing exceptional editorial and writing services to a wide range of clients. Handbooks on english grammar are too numerous, yet few are written with keeping in mind the usual problems of students. A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. Compound verbs are either hyphenated or appear as one word. Never use a hyphen in place of an en dash or an em dash. Below youll find links to our discussion on all punctuation marks. The blue book of grammar and punctuation, tenth edition designed to answer the most pressing grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and usage questions. Its not interchangeable with other types of dashes. But if the description comes after the noun, no hyphen is used a dress of powder blue, a cousin whos red haired, a hamburger well done. How to punctuate descriptions of colors daily writing tips. Hyphens betweenwordsquiz 2 108 hyphens with ly wordsquiz 1. The blue book of grammar and punctuation will amuse you while demystifying the rules of grammar and punctuation.
It doesnt take a lifetime to master english grammar and punctuation. In the eleventh edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation february 2014, and on our website, we are letting the hyphen do the work of the en dash, and the em dash is simply now the dash or long dash. Daily grammar lesson 421 mechanics punctuation hyphens. In the eleventh edition, we have included rule 2 of hyphens with prefixes and suffixes. Compound terms are those that consist of more than one word but represent a single item or idea. The following explanations offer the most common uses and methods for forming these dashes. All cheap jabs to the majestic semicolon aside, this is a great question.
Nov 03, 2010 hyphens are the short lines that separate the words in the expressions nonenglish and exhusband. So watch for references to pages 123 at the bottom of the topic. Daily grammar lesson 425 mechanics punctuation hyphens. Hyphens with numbers english grammar checker software. Constitution but constitutional, the electoral college, department of agriculture. For each of the following, choose the correct sentence.
As with most other phrasal adjectives, pairs of words that together describe the color of an object should be hyphenated. Hyphens are the short lines that separate the words in the expressions nonenglish and exhusband. Use a hyphen to show the omission of a connecting word example. Punctuation definition, overview, and lists of examples. The blue book of grammar and punctuation 11th edition. Hyphens advanced level quiz 1 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation.
A handy rule, whether writing about years, months, or any other period of time, is to use hyphens unless the period of time years, months, weeks, days is written in plural form. The eleventh edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation february 2014 recognizes that there is not always agreement among the authoritative references on many of the rules of grammar and punctuation. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is a concise, entertaining workbook and guide to english grammar, punctuation, and usage. But it is far too strong to use words like incorrect and error for spans that are stated with hyphens. If the adjectives come after the noun, then they dont need a hyphen. English punctuation has always had two complementary aspects. Jane straus is the author of the blue book of grammar and punctuation and developer of. One hundred million, fortyfour thousand, nine hundred and eightyfive. Hyphens english grammar today cambridge dictionary. Aps rationale is that retaining the hyphen in compound modifiers after the noun helps avoid confusion. Mar 18, 2014 the blue book of grammar and punctuation, eleventh edition.
The blue book of grammar and punctuation succeeds at a rare feat. My book is full of them because it seemed to reflect how i think, but i wonder if there are conventions for good usage versus, for example, the dry, uninteresting semicolon. The hyphen is also used for word division, which is briefly explained here. Constitution but constitutional, the electoral college, department of. May 23, 20 hyphens are a regular source of confusion among grammar girl listeners. Hyphens between words quiz 1 the blue book of grammar and. Use a hyphen in compounds made up of two or more words used as an adjective adjectives modify or affect the meaning of nouns and pronouns and tell us which, whose, what kind, and how many about the nouns or pronouns they modify. The blue book of grammar and punctuation 11th edition pages. A suit that is dark blue referring to degree of saturation is a dark blue suit, and a suit that is blue gray identifying a combination of colors is a blue gray suit. Generally, hyphens are used to join two words or parts of words together. Hyphens advanced level quiz 1 the blue book of grammar. Marcias friend mark notes that hyphens seem to be disappearing.
Hyphens between words quiz 1 the blue book of grammar. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side. We usually use a hyphen between the two words in a twopart adjective in which the second part ends in ed or ing. Hyphens with prefixes quiz 2 the blue book of grammar. Use a hyphen in a compound modifier when the modifier comes before the word its modifying. A suit that is dark blue referring to degree of saturation is a darkblue suit, and a suit that is blue gray identifying a combination of colors is a bluegray suit. The big question with a compound noun is whether to leave it as two words e.
Hyphens between words quiz 1 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Note, too, that a modifying phrase referring to color. Written without jargon for all of us who need simple answers to our everyday questions, this new, updated version has 50% more materialrules, exercises, tests, and answersand a new cover that is both sleek and durable. For most writers, the hyphens primary function is the formation of certain compound terms. This adjective with two words joined by the hyphen is called a compound adjective. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Mignon fogarty is the founder of quick and dirty tips and the author of seven books on language, including the new york times bestseller grammar girls quick and dirty tips.
Hyphens are a regular source of confusion among grammar girl listeners. Hyphens with prefixes quiz 2 from the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Jun 02, 2009 in the eleventh edition of the blue book of grammar and punctuation february 2014, and on our website, we are letting the hyphen do the work of the en dash, and the em dash is simply now the dash or long dash. If you do not find the verb in the dictionary, hyphenate it. Therefore, a hyphen is not required after the number in that example.
For example, if the hyphen is omitted in a statement such as he is a little known man, the reader might interpret it as meaning he is a known man who is little. The blue book of grammar and punctuation, eleventh edition. The blue book of grammar and punctuation is filled with easytounderstand rules, realworld examples, dozens of reproducible exercises, and pre and posttests. Among such rare grammar books is the one written by jane straus, named as the blue book of grammar and punctuation. Apr 03, 2018 aps rationale is that retaining the hyphen in compound modifiers after the noun helps avoid confusion. Now in its tenth edition, the blue book is a masterpiece of clarity and usefulness. For clarity, many writers hyphenate prefixes ending in a vowel when the root word begins with the same letter. The blue book of grammar and punctuation jane straus.
Review says it provides an online resource for grammar and punctuation usage with lessons, quizzes, and an optional test to evaluate the understanding of the material. In this revised and updated tenth edition of her bestselling book, jane straus adds a new section on confusing words and homonyms with hundreds of the trickiest words defined and explained. The blue book of grammar and punctuation by mark nichol no one writing handbook or grammar guide should suffice for careful writers, and though jane strauss the blue book of grammar and punctuation is less comprehensive than some other resources, its largeformat workbook approach provides a readerfriendly introduction to. How to use hyphens grammar girl quick and dirty tips. Jan 22, 2014 the blue book of grammar and punctuation is a concise, entertaining workbook and guide to english grammar, punctuation, and usage. My question, grammar cat, concerns the use of the emdash. Hyphens english grammar today a reference to written and spoken english grammar and usage cambridge dictionary.
Grammar tip suspended hyphen november 9, 2011 0 comments in grammar by jane watson when you are writing a sentence that contains hyphenated adjectives with the same last word, delete all the repeated words except for the last one. Grammar and punctuation the blue book of grammar and. The mysteries of grammar and punctuation revealed new, expanded eighth edition jane straus on. Hyphens advanced level quiz 1 the blue book of grammar and. We baked three hundred and twentyfive cookies for the bakeoff. Punctuation in the english language helps the reader to understand a sentence through visual means other than just the letters of the alphabet. An easytouse guide with clear rules, realworld examples, and reproducible quizzes, 11th edition. Using hyphens in compound nouns a single noun made up of two or more words is called a compound noun e. This userfriendly resource includes simple explanations of grammar, punctuation, and usage. This handy workbook is ideal for teachers, students in middle school through college, esl students, homeschoolers, and professionals. There are many uses of the en and em dash and also many ways to form these dashes using your computer. Since i thought the hyphen section of marcia riefer johnstons new book, word up.
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