Punctuation

Evolution, Devolution, & Competing Paradigms

     Change tends to happen for a reason, and so it is with the rules of punctuation (if they should even be called rules). Even more true is that change will always be resisted by those who have mastered whatever is going to be changed. And so it is with punctuation, and so the tension between less or more punctuation was set in motion, and it has ebbed and flowed for the past several hundred years. Right now I think we are on a bit of a more stage of the punctuation tide. The internet, email, messaging, emoticons, template-based writing and the overall effect of redefining how words are created, manipulated, and stored seems to be creating several new (and often competing) visions of what proper punctuation looks like and needs or wants to do in any kind of writing piece.

My default thought whenever I “read” a punctuation mark is to to ask, “What exactly is this mark doing for me? Do I really need it? For example: do I need to have a comma between a town, state, and zip-code when it is already obvious what is being written: Concord, MA, 01742 or Concord MA 01742.  [But of course, if I need to write New York, New York, 10458 the commas appear helpful—unless, maybe, we all started using abbreviations instead of the complete state name whenever writing a state name. Being from Massachusetts this is a no brainer: just write MA. Very few people will confuse my home state with my mother, and it will certainly help anyone who wants to write New York NY instead of New York New York, which will drive your spell checker crazy.

If you are confused already, my point is made. Whether you care to read on is a good indication of your commitment as a writer:) [Sorry for the emoticon. I just wanted you to know that I am kidding, sort of. And these brackets are supposed to let you know that this little aside doesn’t have a lot to do with the main writing piece, but it felt like useful information.] My kidding aside, knowing where, how, why, and when to use punctuation is a pretty useful part of any writer’s toolbox.

At its best, effective punctuation allows a writer to recreate the needed tone and intention of a writer’s inner voice during its transformation, through words, into an outer voice—and at its very best both writer and reader have a shared understanding of the purpose and intent of every additional mark put upon the page. At worst, a challenged reader just ignores your skillfully placed commas, parentheses and semi-colons (or your teacher is peeved that your enlightened understanding of punctuation is at odds with his or her understanding of punctuation and you receive a horrible grade for an incredible effort).

Emerson once said that “consistency is the hobgoblin of narrow minds,” but I don’t think he meant that in regard to punctuation where consistency is the king, queen and beloved hero of clear, concise and compelling writing.

To that end, learn punctuation; moreover, learn to love what it can do for your writing—and, yes once again, when you know the rules, you can break them.

~Fitz

The Death of the Semi-Colon

Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons.
They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing.
All they do is show you’ve been to college.
~Kurt Vonnegut

 

“Let it die the death it deserves,” came the tough talk aimed at me by a devoted (and excellent)  teacher, trashing one of my favorite punctuation marks—and, still, he went on: “No one knows what a semi-colon really does, so why even use it in a sentence?” At first I took it like an affronted and indignant-grammarian: “Why you…” and reminded him that I am also the wrestling coach. But then I relaxed, because I realized that most people don’t really give a damn about punctuation marks unless it screws them up when reading? (kind of like that). If my friend has a problem with semi-colons, then it is his battle with his demons—not mine. Perhaps his animosity should be geared towards whomever taught him (or failed to teach him) about semi-colons in the first place. From my point of view, semi-colons are a pretty cool writing device–but, like strong medicine–best used wisely; otherwise, you’ll be like an obnoxious rich kid flashing money around just because you can.

One of the coolest ways to use a semi-colon is to use it as a super comma—especially when you are trying to capture the nuances of a powerful image or thought. If the commonly used phrase to describe a sentence is to say that a sentence is a thought fully expressed, then why kill the thought early? We are not all as laconic as Hemingway or Calvin Coolidge.  We keep telling our kids that an important skill in life is the ability to “extend a conversation” when speaking with someone else—especially someone we don’t know well; and it is the semi-colon that lets us extend the conversation in a sentence; it works to keep the magic flowing.  For the most part, it seems like writers of old enjoyed their thoughts better than we do, for on the whole the old-timers used semi-colons more than we do to extend that special deliciousness of a good thought—like a long note played on a violin.

Here is Mark Twain playing a long note in Huck Finn: [Note: when reading commas, let your breath hesitate briefly or breathe in slightly. Use a bit more of a stop with a semi-colon, but keep the flow going and don’t let your voice trail off or lose steam—because you got to keep on going, baby; you’ve got more that people need to hear, and you don’t want to lose whatever precious audience you have.]

It was one of these regular summer storms. It would get so dark that it looked all blue-black outside, and lovely; and the rain would thrash along by so thick that the trees off a little ways looked dim and spider-webby; and here would come a blast of wind that would bend the trees down and turn up the pale under-side of the leaves; and then a perfect ripper of a gust would follow along and set the branches to tossing their arms as if they was just wild; and next, when it was just about the bluest and blackest — fst! it was as bright as glory, and you’d have a little glimpse of tree-tops a-plunging about away off yonder in the storm, hundreds of yards further than you could see before; dark as sin again in a second, and now you’d hear the thunder let go with an awful crash, and then go rumbling, grumbling, tumbling, down the sky towards the under side of the world, like rolling empty barrels down stairs — where it’s long stairs and they bounce a good deal, you know.

Now that is a writer who appreciates a good storm, and Twain certainly wasn’t going to let us out of this sentence until his thought was fully expressed! By not forcing a full stop by using a period, the effect of the imagery layered upon more imagery (but all describing one storm) is more heightened and more “storm-like,” which is precisely what Twain probably set out to do.

And here is Henry David Thoreau in Walden using semi-colons in a similar way; except here the semi-colons are used as a sort of super-commas that deliver a series of thoughts—all of which are directly connected to the scathing and damning thought in the first clause of the sentence.

 It is very evident what mean and sneaking lives many of you live, for my sight has been whetted by experience; always on the limits, trying to get into business and trying to get out of debt, a very ancient slough, called by the Latins aes alienum, another’s brass, for some of their coins were made of brass; still living, and dying, and buried by this other’s brass; always promising to pay, promising to pay, tomorrow, and dying today, insolvent; seeking to curry favor, to get custom, by how many modes, only not state-prison offences; lying, flattering, voting, contracting yourselves into a nutshell of civility or dilating into an atmosphere of thin and vaporous generosity, that you may persuade your neighbor to let you make his shoes, or his hat, or his coat, or his carriage, or import his groceries for him; making yourselves sick, that you may lay up something against a sick day, something to be tucked away in an old chest, or in a stocking behind the plastering, or, more safely, in the brick bank; no matter where, no matter how much or how little.

That’s one sam hill of a sentence, even if you don’t live a mean and sneaking life! In both of these passages, two of America’s greatest writers use the semi-colon as a super-comma to tie together a series of images and/or thoughts. If only commas were used, both sentences would fall apart after a few clauses; if the writers chose to write a series of more compact sentences, the urgency and freshness of the thoughts would be deadened and lose a good part of their effect, but with the semi-colons acting as a loose glue holding together the clauses and planks of images and thoughts, we, as readers, share in the immediacy of the cascade of words; we give ourselves into the moment; moreover, we are rewarded by a thought that is fully-expressed, clearly-stated, and, above all, memorable.

So, my angry friend, if you are still not convinced that a semi-colon deserves at least some respect, can you let it survive for another profound reason—one that is based on our almost mystic response to the sound of words strung together in groups of three. For some reason the power of the trinity in writing is immense. It even has a name. When you group a series of words, thoughts, phrases, or clauses into three’s, it creates something called a Tricolon. Tying together three clauses to make one amazing (and mystically enchanting) sentence out of three connected thoughts is a skill worth learning how to do. All it takes is three clauses, one semi-colon, a comma with a conjunction, and an end mark of some kind.

You can’t let other people dictate how you live; you can’t let other people impose their narrow prejudices, and you certainly can’t live someone else’s life!

Just by using that single semi-colon to connect the first and second clauses and the conjunction to lead into the final clause, the full sentence reads as a passionate plea, instead of a list of reasons.

At least it does to me.

In fact, anytime you have two clauses connected by a comma and a conjunction, you can always replace that comma and conjunction with a semi-colon—if (a big if) it sounds right to you. It is less abrupt than using a period. Instead, it creates a brief, yet connected, terseness. You can also just put in a period and create two sentences. If, woe to you, you insert a comma without the conjunction (Soyet, andor, norforbut; FANBOYS—or however you want to remember these “subordinating conjunctions), you create the dreaded comma splice and will no doubt incur the gleeful wrath of your teacher who has finally found something of substance to lower your grade even further.

I love the water, but I hate swimming. Perfectly fine.
I love the water; I hate swimming. Perfectly fine.
I love the water. I hate swimming. Perfectly fine.
I love the water, I hate swimming.  AAARGHH!  YOU IDIOT! HAVE YOU ANY BRAINS?

     So what else justifies the existence of this punctuation mark?

Here is a good one: You can use a semi-colon to separate different states and cities in a list of cities and states (not that this is a common writing practice).

We are going to Boston, Massachusetts; Manchester, New Hampshire; Hartford, Connecticut; Minnesota, Minnesota; New York, New York; Utah, Utah; and Washington, DC.

Got you there, didn’t I?  Otherwise, it would be comma madness. (And yes, I had to look up the cities and states that had the same names—except, of course, New York, New York.)

OK. I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here, but there is one final—albeit a bit pretentious sounding—use of the semi-colon, and that is how to use a semi-colon with a conjunctive adverb and a comma to connect two otherwise perfectly happy sentences. But I’ll admit, I do feel smart when I use these, and you will, too–especially if your teacher is impressed by academic sounding language; however, (here I go) if you use too many conjunctive adverbs, you will have to sign up for a dating service to find friends. I won’t list all the conjunctive adverbs because I don’t want to be too closely associated with their use (and misuse); moreover, I am sure by this point, I have lost the few readers I had when I started this foolish and vainglorious exercise. Suffice to say, conjunctive adverbs are words like these: nonetheless, actually, accordingly, however, nevertheless, therefore, otherwise, etc.,….

I do appreciate that you have stuck with me this far; nevertheless, staying up late reading about semi-colons is not something you should brag about to your friends—both of them.

Only kidding, of course. Thanks for reading!

 

~Fitz

How To Use the Semi-colon

To Extend a Thought…

Most teachers of younger writers have a fear of long sentences, and, to be honest, longer sentences can be like trying to carry to many books under one arm up a crowed stairwell; but–like a fast flowing and dynamic conversation, the only way to capture the true power of words we sometimes “need” to keep the original thought alive longer than a simple compound sentence allows. Luckily, the semi-colon, viewed by an intelligent reader, is custom made to help create and sustain a powerful narrative flow.

To Add Brevity and Power to a Sentence…

It may seem oxymoronically to say that a semi-colon adds brevity, bit it can and does! The most common technique is to use a semi-colon in to replace a comma with a coordinating conjunction or a dependent clause.

For Example:

• I am not going swimming, but I am going to the beach. (coordinating conjunction)
• I an not going swimming; I am going to the beach!
• I don’t like this book because it is boring. (dependent clause)
• I don’t like this book; it’s boring!

One could argue to simply put a period in there, and you can, but the semi-colon is the message to the reader that the first clause is directly tied to the second clause–plus the writer has removed what in his or her mind is excess words. It is not as jarring and abrupt as a period. In both of these cases, a long dash would serve the same purpose. The final choice should always be left up to the writer to decide what kind of effect he or she wants to create!

 

To Create Parallel Structure…

Parallel structure is a tried and true rhetorical technique that has been employed by great writers and orators since time began. It is a way of piling thought on thought to create a dynamic effect on the listener or reader. The semi-colon allows us to tie together clauses to help create this effect.

• It has been too long since we had a strong leader; it has been too long since our congress has looked beyond their petty differences; it has been too long since our people have taken the reins of control to effect needed change in our country.
• Never underestimate your opponent; never assume you know what you are up against; never forget that your strength is often your weakness, and never rely on anyone but yourself.
• I like scallops; I like shrimp; I like trout; however, I love lobster!

 

With Conjunctive Adverbs…

Conjunctive adverbs are a “bit” like conjunctions because they connect two independent clauses.  The difference is that the conjunctive adverb shows “how” the the two independent clauses are related.

Whenever you use a conjunctive adverb in a sentence, you should put a semi-colon before the conjunctive adverb and a comma after the conjunctive adverb. Just be sure there is an independent clause before the conjunctive adverb–AND after!

• English is fun; however, Fitz is boring.
• “Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t go to yours.” ~Yogi Berra

Here are some examples of conjunctive adverbs:

also, anyhow, anyway, as a result, at last, at the same time, besides, certainly, consequently, earlier, eventually, finally, for example, for instance, further, furthermore, hence, however, in addition, in any case, incidentally, indeed, in fact, in short, instead, in the meantime, later, likewise, meanwhile, moreover, namely, nevertheless, next, now, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, perhaps, similarly, so (as in soooo…) still, subsequently, that is, then, therefore…

*See Comma Rule #7 for a more detailed discussion of conjunctive adverbs.

 

To Act as a Super Comma…

The comma does a superb job of helping you separate what needs to be separated, but sometimes there are just too many commas in a row–and with each succeeding comma the chance of reader befuddlement looms larger with each extension of the sentence.  In comes the semi-colon which can act as a super comma to help your words read with more clarity.

To separate cities and states in a list of cities and states:

• Out trip will take us to Boston, Massachusetts; Burlington, Vermont; New York, New York; and Providence, Rhode Island. [with out the semi-colon the New York, New York might just look like a typo.

To separate long phrases within a sentence that already have commas in the phrase:

• I love dancing with the daffodils, lily’s and tulips in the springtime; swirling with the red, yellow, and brown leaves as they drop from trees, bushes, and flowers in the fall; and walking through the silent woods on a cold, starlit night in the middle of the winter.

 

To Create a Tri-colon Essay Conclusion…

Use a tri-colon sentence to start your conclusion; add a bit of parallel structure to restate your themes, and then finish finish with a sentence that has haiku-like brevity and beauty. It is perfectly acceptable to use the “I” voice if it feels like a better choice for you.

The Tricolon Compound Sentence: Create a sentence with three “clauses.” Use a semi-colon after the first clause followed by a comma and conjunction before the last clause. This type of sentence is awesome because it allows you to express three related ideas in one sentence.

• e.g. The first four books of The Odyssey gives us a glimpse into the life and times of the ancient Greeks; [semi-colon] they give us a lesson in the values and customs during the time of The Odyssey, and [conjunction] and they give us a story told through stories

Parallel Structure: Create three or four four sentences (or clauses) that begin with the same type of phrase and which briefly captures the importance of each of the themes you wrote about in your body paragraphs. It should reflect your stating of the theme, but you don’t want to repeat word for word what you already wrote in your opening paragraph when you “stated the theme.”

• e.g. Book I introduces us to….Book II explores the…, while Book III shows…. Finally, Book IV describes the importance of…

Haiku Sentence: Remember that the term “haiku” means “insightful fun” in the Japanese language, so this sentence needs to try and reflect the totality of your essay with a brief, pithy and final burst of insightful fun!

• e.g. If there is anything to learn from these four books, it is true, as Herman Melville once said, that “A mighty book requires mighty themes,” and The Odyssey, so far, is one exciting, memorable, and mighty story! [I added one more tricolon for effect:)]

This is how the conclusion looks when the separate parts are combined:

The first four books of The Odyssey give us a glimpse into the life and times of the ancient Greeks; [semi-colon] it gives us a lesson in the values and customs during the time of The Odyssey, and [conjunction] it gives us a story told through stories. Book I introduces us to….Book II explores the…, while Book III shows…. Finally,[transition word]  Book IV describes the importance of… If there is anything to learn from these four books, it is, as Herman Melville once said, “A mighty book requires mighty themes,” and The Odyssey, so far, is one exciting, memorable, and mighty story! [I added one more tricolon for effect:)]

 

 

 

 

How to Use the Colon

 

 The colon is the red light of any writing piece. It is a place where you come to a complete stop, look in every direction and then proceed slowly. When I was young we were taught to count to two whenever our reading bumped into a  colon. A colon indicates that something important is coming: a list of things will follow, a majestic or necessary quote is about to be quoted, a cool and interesting thought is about to be added, or a bit of relevant and factual information is going to be addressed. In most cases, since the colon is within a sentence, there is no need to capitalize the first word after the colon, but you should if a long quote follows the colon, or if you add an additional, fully expressed thought that can work as a complete sentence.

 

Uses of the Colon

Introducing Quotes

Things To Know…

If a quote is introduced by a verb, simply place a comma after the verb that leads into the quote.  

• John Fitz said, “If you know the rules, you can break them.”
• I heard my teacher say, “Someday you will love all of these punctuation rules!”

If the quote is preceded by a noun, use a colon.

• Listen to Shakespeare: “To thine own self be true.”
• These words of John F. kennedy still ring true to me: “Ask not what your country can do for you; but rather, what can you do for your country?”

The exception to this rule is if you are quoting a lengthy or important quote. In that case, always use a colon, whether or not you use a verb or noun before the quote.

• In his masterpiece, Walden, Thoreau wrote: “…”
• Who could ever forget these words of Ahab in Moby Dick: “…”

If the quote is three or more lines of text on the page, be sure to use a colon and “block quote” the text. One of the difficulties in having online text on different devices is that it is difficult to know how three lines will display on an iPhone, computer screen or tablet. My advice if you are publishing for the web is to just use common sense and do what feels right to you.

Introducing Lists

Things To Know…

The same basic rules you use with quotes apply here–except you do not need to add a comma or colon after a verb introducing a list.

No colon need after a verb:

• Don’t forget to bring the drinks, potato chips, hot dogs, and umbrellas to the picnic.
• I really love old movies, classic books, and root-beer floats on summer nights.

A colon is needed after a noun:

•  Don’t forget to bring these things to the picnic: drinks, potato chips, hot dogs, and umbrellas.
• It is so cold outside that I wore my heaviest clothes: a down jacket, wool pants, mittens and a rabbit fur hat!

Adding Additional Thoughts, Ideas or Explanations

Things To Know…

In most cases it is not needed to use colons to introduce a thought or idea, but if you really want the reader to pay attention to what you are about to say, the colon is a useful and effective way to get a reader’s attention. Always  use a noun and colon to introduce the idea or thought. If a verb introduces the thought, no colon is needed because the verb is “doing” the introduction. The decision to use a noun or verb is up to you, but if added effect is what you are after, use colons sparingly; otherwise, your writing will sound and feel self-important, pretentious and artificial.

Adding a Thought:

• The one thing I have learned from my experience is that one should always know the depth of the pool before jumping in. (verb)
•  I have learned one thing from my experience: always know the depth of the pool before jumping in. (noun)

Adding an Idea:

• Our lab report proves that all mammals are warm-blooded. (verb)
• Our lab report is unequivocal: all mammals are warm-blooded. (noun)

Adding an Explanation:

• I have finished my driver education training, and I now know that to start a car safely you need to buckle your seatbelt, put your foot on the brake, and turn the key clockwise. (verb)
• My driver education training has taught me how to safely start a car: buckle your seatbelt, put your foot on the brake, and turn the key clockwise. (noun)

 

More Tips & Tricks of Colon Usage…

When To Use a Capital Letter after a Colon:

One of the drudgeries of being a teacher is to have a comment returned by an administrator because I used a capital letter to start whatever came after my colon, but sometimes you should–or at least you can and you’ll be right, not that my boss agrees with me.

 

Full Sentences Follow the Colon:

• Two or more sentences or a long compound sentence follows the colon:
• Billy is a fine student: He is timely with is assignments. He is active in class discussions, and he shares his insights freely and confidently.
• There is plenty more work to do: we need to clean the house; we need to empty out the basement, and we need to paint the trim on the porch.

 

Addressing a Formal Letter:

When writing a formal letter, place a colon after the salutation.

• Mr. Trump:
• Dear Mr. Smith and Dr. Hart:
• Dear Sir:

If it is an informal letter, a comma after the salutation is common practice:

• Hey Harry,
• Dear Sal,

 

After an Introductory Word or Phrase:

• Think: Is this something you really want to do?
• Don’t forget: Tomorrow is Mother’s day.

 

Hopefully, this helps you get a better grasp of most of the range of colon uses–but it is a pretty good start!

 

Those Other Punctuation Marks

Take a look at your keyboard, and you will be sure to see some keys that seldom get used, often for good reason, but just as often because you might not want to how to use them–but sometimes because you don’t know how to use them.

We can fix that!

The Long Dash–or Double Dash!

I admit to being a long dash addict. Though it is seldom used in formal writing, it is a veritable powerhouse of narrative and creative writing–a fact that dismays me a bit as a believer that all writing is formal writing. The double dash helps a writer recreate the power of his or her inner voice by connecting thoughts, adding short or long asides, introducing new content, emphasizing parenthetical information–and sometimes to just add one more awesome insight tagged on to the end of the sentence. In short, used wisely (as in not all the time) it is a pretty cool tool in any writer’s toolbox.

Things To Know…

• Don’t overuse the long dash. It will lose its effect if overdone.
• Use it to add a tag element to a sentence.
• It can add emphasis to a parenthetical or nonessential element.
• It can often be used in place of a colon.

How to make a long dash:

• Most every word processor has a way to make a long dash now.
• In Pages or MS Word, simply type in two hyphens with no spaces between the connected words and it will automatically be added.
• On an ipad, hold down the hyphen key and options for a long dash are visible.
• Otherwise, simply use to dashes to indicate a long dash (as is the case on most blog posts)
• In Google Docs you can set it up in preferences to automatically convert the double dash to a single long dash.

 

To Add a Tag Element…

Sometimes a writer might want to add an additional burst of insight or one more bit of information at the end of a sentence for emphasis. Oftentimes, an exclamation point completes the sentence.

• The hockey game was an unbelievable game: Bobby Orr came out of retirement and scored three goals–and that was just in the first period!
• I love you–I really do! (This might come in handy someday:)
• If that doesn’t work try changing the spark plugs–but be careful!
• Someone else is coming to dinner–Uncle Fred!
• If you should not do it–don’t do it!

 

To Highlight a Parenthetical Element…

Parenthetical elements are little snippets of words that add detail and clarity to a sentence–but they are not “needed” in the sentence. usually, a pair of commas does the trick, or a set of parentheses (if you really want to add whispering tone to your writing–but, if you really want to show it out, use the long dashes!

Commas:

• My first car, a 1964 Valiant, only cost two hundred dollars and lasted me for five years.
• Our lawn mower, broken for the last three summers, needs to be replaced.

Parentheses:

• The new kid in school (who is not very friendly) is having a hard time making friends.
• Our last essay (which I thought was graded unfairly) shouldn’t count on our final grade.

Double Dashes:

• Timmy–annoying as usual–did not know when to shut up.
• If you want to be successful–and make a ton of money–find a different job!

 

To Replace a Colon…

The long dash is a like a connector, and a discerning reader and writer will always sense that the long dash is connecting to something important, such as a meaningful quote, some kind of summary, or even just a list of items. The key is to avoid random usage of the long dash. Be thoughtful and discerning about “why” and when to use any punctuation.

Quotes:

• Emerson’s wise words ring true to this day–“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”

Summary:

• Great teachers, strong morals, good friends–this is why I go to the Fenn School.
• We were shocked after the Seahawks game–speechless!

Lists:

• Don’t forget to bring your stuff to school–books, pens, notebooks and sports gear.

 

To Create Dialogue…

Some writers, like James Joyce, stretch the boundaries of literature to make their readers experience writing in innovative and often dramatic ways. He used the long dash and did not use quotation marks to indicate dialogue, a style that reduces clutter on the page, and who will argue that it wasn’t effective?

• And one day he had asked:— What is your name?Stephen had answered: Stephen Dedalus.Then Nasty Roche had said:— What kind of a name is that?~James Joyce, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

I would not try to be “innovative” in formal writing where conventional usage is expected and revered, but in creative writing be brave enough to think and write differently. It is the hallmark of a great writer to try new ways and new techniques–and the long dash is just the tool to do it.

 

 

Fitz’s Top-Five Hyphen Rules

 

What the Sam Hill is a Hyphen?
(and how to use them!)

 

 

A hyphen is simply a mini-connector that connects words (and numbers) together.

The hyphen is a pretty cool punctuation mark, mostly because its uses are so practical and helpful for readers understand your thoughts and intentions with clarity.  For some reason, hyphens rank pretty low on the “must know” list of punctuation, so here is your chance to pull ahead of the track

These five way-cool rules are uber-fun to know—and they will come in handy as one more tool in your Crafted Word Punctuation Toolbox to help you become a more confident, clear and concise writer—and they may well boost your SAT scores!

THE RULES….

#1. Hyphens create super adjectives out of two or three adjectives.

• The hyphen is used to combine two or three words into a single adjective phrase called a Compound Adjective—words that are joined by hyphens and work together to modify a single noun or noun phrase. The compound adjective always comes before the noun it modifies.
• The easiest way to figure out whether a hyphen is needed or not is to read the sentence without one of the adjectives in the adjective phrase.

 

For example…

I got a ticket for going down a one-way street. 

• If I write, ‘I got a ticket for going down the one street” it sounds stupid. If I write, “I got a ticket for going down the way street,” it sounds equally stupid.
• I could write, “I got a ticket for going down the street one way.” Here a hyphen is not needed. If I put in the hyphen, it sounds like the street is named “One-Way Street.” Nifty name for a street, but not the intent of the sentence.

 

#2. Hyphen create interesting and vivid compound verbs

For example…

• I quick-wrote the whole hyphen assignment!
• But if I write, “I quickly-wrote the whole hyphen assignment!” I would not need a hyphen because “quickly” is an adverb.

 

#3. Hyphens clarify a range of numbers or time

For example…

• The essay should be 500-750 words in length.
• This is pretty obvious, but you could also write, “The essay must be from five hundred to seven hundred and fifty words in length.”

Or a range of time…

• The dance will be on Saturday, 8:15-10:15
• Never spell out the time, like this: “The dance will be on Saturday from eight fifteen to eleven fifteen,” but if it starts and starts on the hour, you could write, “The will start at eight o’clock and end at ten o’clock.”
• A lot of folks (like copy editors!) use a longer dash, the en dash, like this: “The dance will be on Saturday, 8:15–10:15.”  No big difference, but if it is what the editor (or teacher) wants, it is what you should do!

 

#4. Hyphens indicate numbers twenty-one through ninety-nine

For example…

• He gave me twenty-five dollar bills.
• If I write, “He gave me twenty five dollar bills,” I would be very happy since he then gave me $100.00—much better than the $25.00 in the first example:)
• In a greater number, only hyphenate the last number: “I need one thousand three hundred twenty-five dollars to fix my car,” though why not just write $1325.00… It is much more succinct.

 

#5. Hyphens indicate age in years

For example…

They are nothing but a bunch of fifteen-year-old spoiled brats.

• Always use two hyphens to indicate an age in years.
• It is not correct If I write, “They are nothing but a bunch of fifteen year-old spoiled brats,” it would sound like the nursery  room from hell—not the hell of a pack of spoiled teenagers. [It doesn’t matter if I use the number 15 or the word fifteen.]
• But I could write, “The spoiled brats are all fifteen years old,” because here fifteen is plural. I know, wicked confusing…

 

When NOT to use a hyphen…

Hyphens are NOT used with the word “very” or adverbs ending in “ly” when modifying an adjective

For example…

It is a “very” scary movie because it is a “really” scary movie.

• All it takes is knowing when an adverb is modifying an adjective…

Hyphens are NOT used in a series of descriptive adjectives

An “Adjective Phrase” is different than a “Series of Adjectives” [Comma Rule 6: Commas with Descriptive Adjectives] that are used to modify a noun or noun-phrase.

For example…

He drives an old, bright, shiny, red Ford Mustang convertible.

• In this case, I could write, “He drives and old and bright and shiny red Ford Mustang convertible,” but I would never write, “He drives an old-bright, shiny-red Ford Mustang.”

THATS IT…FOR NOW…

~Fitz