Hyphens (-)

Hyphens are commonly used to connect words or parts of words to form compound words or clarify the meaning of a phrase.

Hyphen Rules

• Only words of two syllables or more may be broken, and at least two letters must be on each line.

• Make sure that the word is separated between syllables.

  Examples: val-ue, an-tique, old-er

• non examples: valu-e, ant-ique, o-lder

​When do you use a Hyphen?

• Use hyphens in certain compound words, such as self-made and man-hour.

• Use hyphens in compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-nine.

• Use hyphens in spelled-out fractions, such as one-sixth and two-eighths.

​Dashes

Use dashes to show an abrupt break in thought.

Examples:

1. Each model you see -don't touch!- requires weeks of work.

2. I was about to leave the house - wait, did I forget my keys?

The concert - which was held at the Civic Center - was sold out.

dashes added

The concert, which was held at the Civic Center, was sold out.

Example:

Dashes Continued

Parentheses

Parentheses are used to set off information that is not essential to the main sentence but provides additional context.

​Examples

1. The meeting (which was scheduled for 2 PM) has been postponed until tomorrow.

2. To indicate an abbreviation: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends wearing masks in public.