NCO Primary Leadership Subjects
Hyphens
Use hyphens to join hyphenated compounds and break words at the end of a line.
Purpose
Read the rules and examples for using hyphens. Then apply them in the practice that
Rules
follows.
Use a hyphen...
Example
between words used as a unit modifier
His action was an ill-advised one.
before a noun.
He was a well-known general.
with prefixes when:
the dictionary so indicates.
co-worker
the second element is a number.
pre-1776
the second element is proper noun.
un-American
they are added to words that are
re-cover [to cover again]
spelled like other words but have
self-expression, ex-wife
different meanings.
mayor-elect
the prefix is self- or ex-
and with the suffix -elect
to break a word at the end of a line or
cour-age writing. Break the word
Use the dictionary to help you divide
between syllables.
the word.
colo-nel
between parts of compound numerals
fifly-three
(twenty-one to ninety-nine).
eighty-two
to separate the parts of fractions.
one-fourth
one-half
one-third
Continued on next page
Writing Mechanics and Composition
2-39
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