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Grammar SOS > Hyphens
Hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity, to join thoughts or ideas.
- He recovered his health.
- He re-covered his roof.
When two or more words express a single concept AND precedes a noun, use hyphens to link the words:
- The part-time slot is already filled.
- The bluish-green dress looked good on her.
After a noun, the phrase doesn't need the hypen:
- The janitor works part time.
- The dress, a bluish green, was attractive.
But watch out for those same phrases that follow forms of the verb "to be." To avoid confusion, you may need to use the hyphen:
- The dress is bluish-green.
Use a hyphen with combos such as "serio-comic," "socio-economic," "Italian-American."
Use a hyphen with scores:
- The team won 20-15.
A hyphen is not a dash. Dashes are used to signal an abrupt change:
- I'll mow the lawn -- assuming the mower starts this time -- when I'm finished with my work.
Dashes can set off a series within a sentence:
- He listed the qualities -- loyalty, smarts and good-looking hair -- he looks for in executives he hires.
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