Are hyphens overused?

Hyphens are tricky creatures that can’t be summed up in a few words. They are sometimes overused, other times underused. They follow a few rules then haphazardly ignore a slew of others.

What is the effect of using hyphens?

Essentially, they’re used for dramatic effect. In other words, they make a more emphatic, abrupt break in a sentence than other punctuation marks. They can be used instead of a pair of commas for emphasis: She was confused by hyphens – those pesky little word-joiners – until she read today’s blog post.

Why do people use hyphens so much?

Hyphens’ main purpose is to glue words together. They notify the reader that two or more elements in a sentence are linked. Although there are rules and customs governing hyphens, there are also situations when writers must decide whether to add them for clarity.

When should hyphens not be used?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing.

Is well liked hyphenated?

They are two or more adjectives that precede a noun, that themselves form a complete adjective which describes the noun. However, if the same phrase follows the noun, the hyphen is not necessary. a well-liked teacher her floor-length gown. The teacher is well liked.

What is a hyphenated style and why should it be avoided?

A hyphen ( – ) is used to link parts of a compound word. A hyphen can also be used to avoid duplicated vowels and tripled consonants (anti-oppression, pre-empt, hill-like). Use a hyphen, not a slash, to illustrate joint entity or ownership (faculty-staff newsletter).

Are dashes unprofessional?

Whether or not you use spaces around your em dashes (word—word or word — word) is a matter of style. Using a single hyphen instead of an em dash can confuse readers and make your writing look unprofessional.

Should world class be hyphenated?

Most adjectival phrases, like “world class,” are hyphenated before the noun they modify but are open compounds when they follow a noun or stand on their own, though there are exceptions in both cases. Phrases beginning with self, however, are anomalous.

Does well deserved have a hyphen?

The hyphen has almost no grammatical significance. Whether to use it is determined by other reasons. For 1/2, you would say “well deserving”. “Deserve” is unusual among verbs in occuring frequently with “well” and also in following it.