Are you using hyphens when you shouldn’t be?
Hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity when two descriptive words are placed next to each other before a noun. (They are also used for compound words such as dead-end.)
For example, take the following sentence:
The small business owner got a great loan from the bank.
Is the business owner who got a great loan a small person? Or does the person who got a great loan own a small business? Most likely it’s the latter, but without a hyphen it’s unclear, which is why in this case a hyphen is necessary.
The small-business owner got a great loan from the bank. (CORRECT)
The small business owner got a great loan from the bank. (INCORRECT)
Here’s another example:
The hard charging executive took a vacation.
Is the executive hard? Or does the executive charge hard? Most likely it’s the latter, but again without a hyphen it’s unclear, which is why in this case a hyphen is also necessary.
Where I often see hyphens being used incorrectly is when an adverb is next to a descriptive word before a noun. Adverbs (usually words ending in ly) modify only verbs or adjectives and not nouns, so there is no need for a hyphen.
For example:
If the above examples have you confused, try taking away the descriptive word in each sentence:
Got it? If there’s no ambiguity about what a word is modifying, then there’s no need for a hyphen.
-Maria
Maria Murnane writes bestselling novels about life, love and friendship. Have questions? You can find her at www.mariamurnane.com.
Maria, I've never seen that handy trick of removing the adjective to clarify if the hyphen is needed. I'll be using and teaching that one from now on. Thanks so much!