Hyphens, Dashes, and Parentheses
v Use a hyphen (-) to show the division of a word at the end of a line. Always divide the word between its syllables. Since many word processing programs do not hyphenate words, this rule mainly applies in handwritten and typewritten documents. There are a few rules that you must follow:
§ Do not divide one syllable words.
§ Do not divide words so that one letter remains alone.
§ Divide hyphenated words at a hyphen.
Ø Because she spent many summers helping on her grandparent’s farm, Samantha en-
joyed baking cakes using fresh ingredients.
v Use a hyphen in compound numbers.
Ø It took her forty-three days to perfect the batter's new recipe.
v Use a hyphen in a fraction that is spelled out.
Ø The new recipe calls for a one-half pint of cream.
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v Use a hyphen or hyphens in certain compound words.
Ø My great-grandmother really liked using her churned butter.
Ø Peggy’s sisters-in-law want me to cater their mother’s party.
v Hyphenate a compound modifier only when it precedes the word it modifies.
Ø She stores her recipes in a well-worn binder.
Ø Her finger-worn pages have great notes about different family members.
v Use a hyphen after the prefixes all-, great-, ex-, and self-.
Ø Laura’s chocolate cake won an all-American ribbon at the fair.
Ø It was my great-grandmother’s recipe.
Ø Winning the medal gave Laura the self-confidence she needed to pursue her dream of owning a bakery
v Use a hyphen to separate any prefix used before a proper noun or proper adjective.
Ø Many of the recipes date back to the pre-Civil War era.
Ø It will be mid-November before our building is complete.
v Use a hyphen before the suffixes -elect, and -free.
Ø None of them are sugar-free, so we will have to make adjustments.
Ø The president-elect of our organization wants to help with advertising.
v Use a dash (— ) or dashes to show a sudden break or change in thought or speech. Dashes are longer than hyphens. When using a word processing program, type two hyphens for a dash. Many programs recognize this and make the automated correction.
Ø “I have no idea—excuse me, Samantha—why you would want to add more sugar,” said Laura.
Ø Laura—she burned her hand—will be happy to know that the mixers are automatic.
v Use parentheses to enclose material that is added to a sentence and is not considered important.
Ø Julia Child (1912-2004) was a great inspiration to Samantha.
