Tuesday, November 5, 2019
How to Use Hyphens Correctly in Business Grammar
How to Use Hyphens Correctly in Business Grammar Louise Julig wrote a wonderful post about hyphens in her Thoughts Happen blog. Business writing requires correct hyphenation. Itââ¬â¢s both clarifying and funny. She wore a purple wrist band to remind her of her pledge not to complain. The problem? The bracelet omitted a needed hyphen, prompting Louiseââ¬â¢s grammar complaint: Argh! I just canââ¬â¢t stand it anymore! Iââ¬â¢ve been doing this purple-bracelet ââ¬Å"stop complainingâ⬠exercise for almost three weeks now (and am on my record 5th day of not complaining) but I canââ¬â¢t hold it in any longer because every time I look at the half inch of rubber encircling my wrist I want to gouge a little hyphen between ââ¬Å"Complaintâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Free.â⬠Itââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"A Complaint-Free World,â⬠people, not ââ¬Å"A Complaint Free Worldâ⬠! Oh the irony of complaining about the ââ¬Å"complaint freeâ⬠bracelet. But really! Hyphens are very complicated. I agree with Grammar Girlââ¬â¢s recommendation to check a dictionary and style guide when possible. When itââ¬â¢s not, fall back on this baseline rule: Hyphenate compound modifiers when they come before a noun, and donââ¬â¢t hyphenate them when they come after a noun. Louise illustrated this rule nicely: Why is this? Hereââ¬â¢s my best explanation: hyphens group modifiers together for clarity. Say you have a red brick house. Is it a red house? Yes. Is it a brick house? Yes. Therefore, no hyphen is needed. However, what if you have a ââ¬Å"gluten free recipe.â⬠Is it a gluten recipe? No. Is it a free recipe? No. Therefore, a hyphen is needed to group the modifiers together so you know the recipe has no gluten. Itââ¬â¢s a gluten-free recipe. Why then do you not hyphenate after the noun, e.g. ââ¬Å"the recipe is gluten freeâ⬠? The temptation is to throw in extra hyphens just in case, e.g. ââ¬Å"the recipe is gluten-free.â⬠But itââ¬â¢s just as bad to over-hyphenate as to under-hyphenate, and it really isnââ¬â¢t necessary. Hereââ¬â¢s why: when the modifier comes after the noun, itââ¬â¢s only modifying the one word immediately after it. So we ask ourselves, ââ¬Å"What kind of ââ¬Ëfreeââ¬â¢ is it?â⬠and the answer is ââ¬Å"gluten.â⬠Itââ¬â¢s gluten free. Louise, thanks so much for breaking your complaint-free pledge to clarify this! I say you should gouge that little hyphen into your bracelet, and wear it proudly!
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