Unusual compounds: community-wide, nutrition-wise
However, if you fine someone, you would have to re-fine them (because refine means something else). For example, after you do something you can redo it. Use hyphens whenever a prefix would create an ambiguous word. More or less, ongoing, under way Use Hyphens to Avoid Confusion The following are commonly hyphenated by mistake, but should be written without hyphens.Do not hyphenate phrases originating form foreign languages, particularly Latin.The compound email is an exception that has turned into a closed compound, due to pervasive usage. If one part of the compound is a single letter, it is usually open or hyphenated.The hyphenated version tends to be a mid-way stage. Tip: The older a compound is in use, the more chances to it being written in one word, and vice versa.Rules regarding compound adjectives will be discussed in our review about the hyphen in punctuation. This is due to the language constantly changing. The solution is to always consult a reliable dictionary, but also take into account that different dictionaries may suggest different forms. It is usually difficult to guess what form the compound will take.Compounds come in three forms: open compounds are written with separate words, hyphenated compounds use hyphens, and closed compounds are written as one word.ĭoing a night shift, the butterfly’s life cycle, suffer from side effects, "She is his partner in crime" (nouns), drop in for a visit, stick up a bank (verbs)Īct as a stand-in, call for a time-out, She’s a stick-in-the-mud (nouns), a clear-cut decision, a long-term plan, a two-way street, a water-resistant watch (adjectives), to cold-shoulder someone (verbs)Ī handbook, be at a standstill (nouns), a longtime friend, a clearheaded woman, a twofold increase (adjectives), to crossbreed species, to handwrite a letter (verbs) They may function as nouns, verbs, or adjectives in the sentence. Compound words are composed of two or more words that express one concept together (shown in bold below).Using the hyphen in spelling for linking between words of compound nouns, verbs and adjectives
Hyphens are also used with certain prefixes and suffixes and in certain special cases. They are used with compound numbers, and to avoid confusion or awkward letter combinations. Hyphens are used to link words that function as a single adjective before a noun.