English Grammar Demystified - A Self Teaching Guide

122 English Grammar Demystifi ed

able-bodied men and women

one-way streets

out-of-date equipment

chocolate-covered cake

On the other hand, if the compound modifi ers come after the noun, don’t use a
hyphen:

The cake was chocolate covered.

Use a hyphen with compound numbers:

fi fty-three

seventy-two

Use a hyphen with the prefi xes ex- (meaning “former”), all-,self-; between a
prefi x and a capitalized word; with the suffi x -elect; and with fi gures or letters:

ex-wife

all-included

self-proclaimed

all-American

governor-elect

mid-1960s

Use a hyphen to avoid confusion regarding meaning or to avoid an awkward
combination of letters:

re-sign your name (not resign [leave a job])

semi-independent (vs. semicircular)

Use a hyphen when you need to break a word at the end of a line. Break between
syllables: