Have you ever noticed that sometimes phrases have hyphens and sometimes they don’t?
For example, I might say that I am developing a value-for-money solution (which is hyphenated) but I might also say that my solution is value for money (which is not hyphenated).
Well, ponder no longer. This writing tip will help you sort out these pain-in-the-butt adjective rules once and for all.
For such a tiny punctuation mark, the hyphen can cause quite a bit of confusion. But the rules for their use within multi-word adjectives are actually quite simple: it’s just a matter of placement within a sentence.
Follow the rules below to achieve hyphenated-adjective perfection!
- USE HYPHENS BEFORE NOUNS.
If the multi-word adjective comes before a noun, use hyphens. For example:
- They submitted an up-to-date draft.
- We submitted a design book of computer-generated images with our bid.
- After the IPT, there were several follow-up questions.
- We took a five-minute break during our workshop.
- I went for a 5-kilometer run this morning. (For the record, this never happened.)
- DON’T USE HYPHENS AFTER VERBS.
When the multi-word adjective comes after the main verb, leave the hyphen out. For instance:
- Their draft was up to date.
- The images in our bid were computer generated.
- We followed up the ITP with additional questions.
- Our workshop break is five minutes.
- I ran for 5 kilometers this morning. (Still didn’t happen.)
There are exceptions to these rules, but these rules cover 90% of situations and will get you by most of the time.
So in conclusion, use hyphens if the multi-word adjective comes before a noun, otherwise skip the hyphens.
Have fun!
Leann Webb