Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes
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 (7.85). 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 »
Q. Is “official-rate increases” hyphenated as written? Answer »
Q. I tend to let my ear be my guide—and usually that works—so I need some clarification to ensure I’m on the right track. Can you clarify that I am using my hyphens correctly? Facilitate a core-team workshop to discuss . . . Develop a future-state document . . . Conduct a future-state assessment . . . Identify change-management opportunities. Answer »
Q. I can’t find hyphen placement in ages, such as “fourteen-years old” in the Manual. And what about “years-old”? Is that correct? Answer »
Q. What is your opinion regarding the use of “email,” instead of “e-mail” (no hyphen or hyphen)? Answer »
Q. “We are more than ready to analyze plan design changes.” For clarity would you recommend inserting a hyphen between plan and design? Answer »
Q. I am copyediting a parent resource website and this comes up a lot. How do I hyphenate “this class is for three- to four-year-olds”? Is that correct? I have seen it as: three-to-four year-olds. Answer »
Q. Is it prework or pre-work (for work that is to be done before a meeting)? Answer »
Q. In a scholarly book about popular culture, the author has used several -esque word endings, usually hyphenated. According to CMOS instructions for the similar constructions of -wide, -like, and -borne, I would be inclined to remove the hyphen. But the result is unsavory. Also, in the case of open compounds, should the -esque ending acquire an en dash? See the following: Tarantinoesque, Skeeteresque, Gandalfesque, Billy Idolesque, Sid Vicious–like, John Paul–esque, The Parallax View–esque. Answer »
Q. I’ve tried to Look It Up, and I know other people are curious about this question, too—some of ’em can’t even sleep at night for worrying about it—so I’m writing you, O Mighty Editors, to ask where do the hyphens go in the phrase “two and a half times the price”??? Answer »
Q. Is it: early-fourth-century-AD amphora? What is proper way to handle early fourth century AD amphora? Answer »
Q. When does one use hyphenation to break words? I already looked at the Manual and still have some questions. I have heard that when the text has a jagged right edge no hyphens should occur and when text is justified it is allowed. What about magazines, leaflets, fliers, catalogs? Can one be more liberal in these and if so is there some guideline on this? Answer »
Q. I work for a travel company and we are trying to figure out the proper way to write “eight-night stay.” I feel the number should be spelled out with a hyphen, while other people feel “8 night” is correct. I’ve been trying to find an answer in the style guide, but no luck. Thanks for the help. Answer »
Q. In a previous Q&A, a curious reader asked you to weigh in on the subject of hyphenated Americans. You responded that “ CMOS prefers not to hyphenate Americans of any sort, even when they appear in an adjective phrase.” Were it actually an adjectival phrase, like “apathetic Americans,” I would be inclined to agree; however, I maintain that the examples “African-American,” “Asian-American,” and even “Native-American” (or as I prefer, American-Indian) are all compound proper nouns and must be hyphenated. They are not merely Americans who happen to be African, but rather African-Americans—a distinct ethnic and cultural group. Irrefutable logic? Answer »
Q. Are poets allowed poetic license to do practically anything with punctuation? I ask this in view of a poem by Emily Dickinson that seems to use the em dash in bewildering and inscrutable ways. Answer »