Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes
Q. I realize that the rules regarding hyphenation are fluid, but I was wondering if you could clarify an issue that has been bothering me. Is there a good way to know when to hyphenate two words serving as an adjective, especially when ambiguity could be an issue? For example, would the phrase “foreign language skills” be hyphenated? What about “large book sale”? Could this second phrase be interpreted as “a sale of large books” instead of “a large sale of books”? Answer »
Q. I am a grad student and I have been asked to turn my project into an article that can (hypothetically) be published in a journal. The particular journal uses The Chicago Manual of Style; are there particular guidelines for articles instead of books? Answer »
Q. If a number of references are given in the same endnote, should they be given in any particular order (e.g., alphabetically)? Answer »
Q. In a sentence, a colon should always be preceded by an independent clause. Why doesn’t the Chicago Manual state this explicitly? All your examples follow the principle. Why doesn’t the manual just say that the introductory clause has to be independent? Answer »
Q. Dear CMOS: My author uses 9/11 as a shorthand to refer to the September 11 attacks. When this is being used in the phrase “post-9/11 world,” wouldn’t an en dash be more appropriate than a hyphen because post has to bridge 9/11, which is shorthand for two words? Answer »
Q. I am editing a collection of poems. My poet is inclined to use ellipses and em dashes extensively and incorrectly. I argued that this will detract from the manuscript and be distracting for readers. She argued that it’s a style thing and I shouldn’t change it. Who is right? Does the poet get complete license? Answer »
Q. I’ve been copyediting textbooks for more than a decade. I removed the title Dr. in a section about Martin Luther King Jr. because I thought that once a person is deceased, titles are not used in subsequent references. The editor strongly disagreed with this edit and stetted all the Dr.’s. For me, it was a matter of consistency; we don’t refer to Jonas and Albert as “Dr. Salk” and “Dr. Einstein.” (At least I don’t.) For the editor, it was an issue of respect for a man and his ideals. Is there a difference between dead scientific doctors and dead academic ones, or is Dr. King an exception to the rule? Answer »
Q. My question is regarding page numbers in references. If we have pages ranging from 315 to 317, it is my understanding this should read as 315–7. Now let’s say a journal article is from pages 310 to 319. Does it matter that there is a zero in the beginning page number? Is the proper format 310–9 or 310–19? Someone has informed me that if a zero occurs in the beginning page, we must skip a number back in the ending page. That would mean 310–19, rather than 310–9. Answer »
Q. If court testimony is being quoted and the speaker does not often use correct grammar (repeats words, speaks in sentence fragments or sentences that don’t logically follow, etc.), is it okay to change it extensively and use brackets to indicate the changes? Would a general disclaimer work? Answer »
Q. There has been an increase in the use of green to mean “ecofriendly.” Should we place green in quotation marks when used in this manner? Does it depend on the sentence? Answer »
Q. For Chicago style, is there a mandate on whether a paper clip or staple should be used? Answer »
Q. Hello, I've tried to grasp the rule on hyphenating a couple of words I'm confronted with; could you please confirm I'm right in my reasoning: nontoxic (“non-toxic” would look better); nonsmokers (“non-smokers” would look better); noneicosanoid functions (“non-eicosanoid” would look better; nonphosphorylated form (“non-phosphorylated” would look better). Answer »
Q. I’m seeing this particular use of hyphens: low-to-moderate income families. I don’t think it’s correct, but it’s becoming so common that I’m beginning to wonder if I missed something. Answer »
Q. I was not able to find this in CMOS anywhere: how do you hyphenate a word that has both a prefix and a suffix? For example, should “seminationwide” have any hyphens? Answer »
Q. Should “64 Slice Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography Program” be hyphenated “64-Slice”? Answer »
Q. My question relates to commonly used Latin terms. Does one hyphenate if the phrase is used as a compound modifier? Examples: “The board has four ex officio members.” “Ad hoc committee members do not participate in executive sessions.” Answer »
Q. Obviously, two adjectives separated by “and” need not be hyphenated, as in “Brackett Omensetter was a wide and happy man.” But how about suspended compound nouns, for example, “city- and state government” or a musician’s “recording- and practice space”? Need the first modifier have a suspended hyphen? I vote hyphen, myself, but I’ve been called to account and could find neither backup nor smackdown in the Chicago Manual. Answer »
Q. Please help. Does “blue black berries” require a hyphen? What about “deep violet blue color”? We’ve had to look beyond CMOS for guidance because the issue of compound color modifiers isn’t thoroughly covered, although as CMOS is our primary reference, we would happily defer to you. Many of our publications include compound color modifiers, and it’s become a bit tense around here as some insert hyphens and others remove them. Answer »
Q. I’ve come across a book that uses the slash (/) between coequal nouns, as in “the Jones/Smith team,” or “the Brown/Green work association.” Is the slash acceptable or should a hyphen be used? Answer »
Q. In a technical proposal, would you say “400-ton-per-day scrubber” or “400-tons-per-day scrubber”? Thanks a bunch! Answer »
Q. We are struggling with hyphenating trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific . AP says to hyphenate; Chicago does not (7.90). But you say to hyphenate trans-American. If Atlantic, Pacific, and American are all normally capitalized, shouldn’t they all follow the same hyphenation standard for prefixes? Answer »
Q. Would you hyphenate the phrase “day and a half”? Answer »
Q. Please, please help. How does one hyphenate this phrase: “twenty-five-thousand-dollar fine” or “twenty-five thousand-dollar fine”? I am not able to find an example in all of CMOS. Answer »
Q. Where does Chicago stand on this “eco” compound word madness? Everything that comes across my desk these days is “eco-conscious, ecobusiness, eco centered,” and of course not a single word of it is consistent. Answer »
Q. How should the following be hyphenated, if at all? Two and a half hours. Answer »
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