End-of-line hyphenation – how should it be used?
Asked by: Katrina Thompson
Use a hyphen at the end of a line to divide a word where there is not enough space for the whole word. Follow the rules for dividing words correctly. Divide a word between syllables. Never divide a one-syllable word.
What is the hyphenation rule?
Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two or more 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. It’s impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.
What are the rules for splitting words at the end of a line?
Splitting Words at the End of the Line
- Never break up a one-syllable word.
- Never hyphenate a word that already has a hyphen.
- Never split a proper noun (any noun starting with a capital letter).
- Never leave one or two letters on either line. …
- Never put the first or last letter of a word at the end or beginning of a line.
Should hyphenated words be on the same line?
And note that, when you’re writing a suffix, the hyphen must go on the same line as the suffix itself: you should not allow the hyphen to stand at the end of its line, with the suffix on the next line.
What does a hyphen at the end of a text mean?
Wiktionary. hyphennoun. Symbol “-“, typically used to join two or more words to form a compound term, or to indicate that a word has been split at the end of a line.
How do you hyphenate a word at the end of a line in word?
Hyphenate text automatically
- On the Tools menu, click Hyphenation.
- Select the Automatically hyphenate document check box.
- In the Hyphenation zone box, enter the amount of space to leave between the end of the last word in a line and the right margin.
How do you separate hyphenated words?
Divide a hyphenated word at the hyphen (with the hyphen remaining on the first line). For example: mother-|in-law or mother-in-|law but not mo-|ther-in-law. Do not divide a word at the end of the page so that the second part starts a new page.
Why is hyphen used?
Generally, hyphens are used to join two words or parts of words together while avoiding confusion or ambiguity. Consult your dictionary if you are not sure if a hyphen is required in a compound word, but remember that current usage may have shifted since your dictionary was published.
What is an example of a hyphen?
The hyphen ‐ is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. Son-in-law is an example of a hyphenated word.
What is a double hyphen used for?
Double dashes are used instead of commas (or parentheses) to interrupt a sentence. The phrase separated by dashes must be grammatically inessential, by which I simply mean that the sentence will still work without that phrase.
What are two hyphens called?
the em dash
In the bygone days of typewriters, the em dash was rendered as two hyphens (–), but today modern word processing packages offer a genuine em dash in their special character sets. The em is an expansive, attention-seeking dash. It supplies much stronger emphasis than the comma, colon or semicolon it often replaces.
What is double hyphen called?
The two most common dashes are the em dash and the en dash.\nEm dash\nEm dashes — so called because they are (at least historically) the width of the character m — are used for emphasis or interruption.
When to use a dash or hyphen in a sentence?
A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side.
What is the difference between a hyphen and an em dash?
A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark that’s used to join words or parts of words. It’s not interchangeable with other types of dashes. A dash is longer than a hyphen and is commonly used to indicate a range or a pause. The most common types of dashes are the en dash (–) and the em dash (—).
Is a dash or hyphen longer?
The dash (—), also called the em dash, is the long horizontal bar, much longer than a hyphen. Few keyboards have a dash, but a word processor can usually produce one in one way or another. If your keyboard can’t produce a dash, you will have to resort to a hyphen as a stand-in.
Do you need a space before and after a hyphen?
Sometimes confused with the hyphen, a dash comes between words as a form of division, whereas a hyphen generally joins words or parts of words to indicate a connection. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash. Do not put a space before or after the dash.