Hyphenation summary of “The Technical Writer's Handbook” by Matt Young
Entry “hyphen” in pages 101 to 103, “adverb” in page 25, “prefix, suffix” in page 153 and “numbers”.
Renata Gomes 07/11/2014
Hyphenation
•
•
Obey publication's rules: all compound modifiers get “-” if the publication requires
you to do so!
Try to avoid hyphen, with care! → More colloquial, less jargon.
Hyphenate
Do NOT hyphenate
Many modifiers preceding modified noun
• A host-specific parasite
• A shock-tube refrigerator
• A state-of-the-art method
Not a modifier
• The parasite is host specific
• A shock tube
• The state of the art
• The speed of light
Without, it is ambiguous
• Popular-science writer (science is
popular, not writer)
• “Popular Rock band” x “popular-rock
band”
No ambiguity
• More powerful rocket
• High intensity lamp
Adjective form of a phrasal verb + prepositionlike particle – if it “looks” good
• back-up copy
• coronary bypass operation
Phrasal verb + preposition-like particle
• log on
• back up
• lock in
After a prefix if...
- double/triple vowel
• electro-optic, co-authors
- ambiguous/confusion
• pseudo-intellectual, un-ionized, periodate
- before capital letter
• non-Gaussian
- two prefixes
• acousto-electro-optic effect
- create i and e
• anti-evolution
After prefixes (usually)
• nonnegative
• quasithermal
• uniaxial
Before a suffix only if...
- made-up word
• comma-kaze, term-ite
- double vowel
Before suffixes (usually)
Common compounds that became a word
(field specific – check recent dictionary!)
• farfield diffraction, laserbeam, blackbody,
searchlight
Can you use an adverb instead?
Adverbs that end in -ly obviously refer to the modifier
• Near-diffraction limited lens → nearly diffraction limited lens
• triple-clad fiber → triply clad fiber
Use it right!
•
•
Nuclear-directed energy weapon → nuclear-directed weapon??
Nuclear directed-energy weapon → directed-energy weapon!!
Hyphenate if the expression needs it
Odd juxtapositions of words
• on-off switch
• nitrogen-rich mixture
Expressions with prepositions in strange places
• lock-in amplifier
• in-situ measurement
Modifiers + prepositional phrases
• signal-to-noise ratio
• lack-of-fit method (and not lack of a fit method!)
Be consistent
•
x-axis, J-integral, xy-plane
OR
•
x axis, J integral, x-y plane
Numbers
•
•
If publication requires, 30-cm radius
Do not hyphenate 30 cm long
Range
No unnecessary spaces
• Fig. 6 (a - d) → Fig. 6 (a-d)
• 150 - 120 years → 150-120 years