Q. A coeditor and I have a difference of opinion with regard to the following as it relates to “spare
use” of hyphens. I maintain that hyphens are necessary because both words together modify the noun that
follows. My coeditor thinks they aren’t needed. Can you settle the debate? Here are some examples: “IBM-based
software” or “IBM based software” “End-user
documentation” or “end user documentation”
A. Yes, I would use hyphens in both of your examples. Otherwise the first phrase could be taken as a noun-verb-object clause,
and in the second phrase “end” could be read as a verb. We don’t
object to hyphens, but rather avoid a proliferation of unneeded hyphens—it’s more
a house aesthetic than a rule. One bugbear is the hyphenation of an entire descriptive passage: “He
loved to use the throwing-the-baby-out-with-the-bath-water metaphor.” In this example, the writer could
either put quotation marks around the metaphor or rephrase entirely.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Editors at the three campuses of the University of Illinois are questioning the use of hyphens in these terms for a report: Native-American students or Native American students? African-American students or African American students? Asian-American students or Asian American students? All three campuses are using hyphens for the second two examples, but not for the first. We aren’t able to say why exactly, and I wasn’t able to find an answer in CMOS. What are your thoughts on this? Thanks.
A. CMOS prefers not to hyphenate Americans of any sort, even when they appear in an adjective phrase. See CMOS 7.89, section 2 of the table, under “proper nouns and adjectives relating to geography or nationality.”
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I need to know the difference between a soft and hard hyphen in regard to proofing marks. Can you please help me out? Thank you kindly.
A. A hard hyphen is one that is typed deliberately and that must remain whether the phrase falls at the end of a line or in the middle of a sentence. An example is the hyphen in “two-thirds.” A soft hyphen, on the other hand, is there only when a word must be broken at the end of a line; it has likely been inserted by a word-processing feature, and it should disappear if the word falls in the middle of a sentence during typesetting. An example is “care-fully.” If you are preparing a manuscript for typesetting, there should be no soft hyphens in it, and if you notice one on the printed manuscript, you should mark it out (see fig. 2.5 in CMOS). If your word-processing program has an automatic hyphenation feature, it should be turned off.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Is the prefix “non” always used without the hyphen now? For example: nonresponse, as opposed to non-response.
A. CMOS style is to close up prefixes unless there is a reason not to. Some editors leave the hyphen in to avoid doubling a letter: non-native, pre-exist, co-owner (the second of which is listed as one word in Merriam-Webster; “nonnative” is also listed, as an equal variant for the hyphenated form). We use an en dash when the prefix goes with an open compound noun: non–United States citizen. And we use a hyphen when the prefix goes with a hyphenated compound: non-English-speaking.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Should the word “pre-dewatering” be hyphenated?
A. I reckon hyphenatin’s too good for a word like “pre-dewatering,”
though it surely ought to be put out of its misery somehow.
Seriously, we tend to be suspicious of words beginning with “pre-,” which seem
to be proliferating lately. What is the difference, after all, between presliced bread and plain sliced bread?
If what you want to say is “before dewatering,” then you can use the word “before.”
If you are tempted to say “pre-” because you want to use the phrase to modify
another noun (e.g., in the pre-dewatering period), then you can rephrase to avoid the problem (in the period before dewatering).
If you were to write back and tell me that this word is standard parlance in some technical field, it would make me grumpy,
but I would tell you that Chicago style is to close up all prefixes unless confusion would result.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. What is an en dash?
A. An en dash is a useful but subtle creature that is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash. (An “em”
is a typesetting measure of width equal to the size of the type. For instance, in eight-point type, an em is eight points
wide. An “en” is half an em.) Our main uses for the en dash are in inclusive numbers
(129–35) and in adjectival phrases that contain an open compound (the post–Civil
War period).
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. I’m interested in how you would treat the following issue of double punctuation: U.S.-oriented. I decided to omit the hyphen, which I would have otherwise used, because I didn’t like the way it looked following an abbreviation period.
A. It may look a little odd, but the hyphen is conventional there, because omitting it could cause readers to mistake “oriented” for a verb. If your publication’s style permits, you can follow CMOS and omit the periods: US-oriented.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Should a range of specific dates be written using an unspaced en dash, even in headings? Which is correct: 14 March 1879–8 April 1955 or 14 March 1879—8 April 1955?
A. The first is Chicago style (please see CMOS 6.78), but changing the dash to “to” will make the phrase more readable.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. A question arose in my proofreading class about the phrase “rock and roll.” Merriam-Webster suggests that when it is used as a noun, no hyphens are required, and when used as an adjective, hyphens are preferred. Our question was whether we should choose one or the other and stick with it through the entire document or alternate between hyphenating and not hyphenating depending upon usage.
A. Good question! The dictionary can’t make this clear, but a good style guide can: you should consistently hyphenate the adjective phrase and consistently leave the noun open. Your proofreading class would benefit from a look at the hyphenation table at CMOS 7.89.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]
Q. Stylebooks insist on the use of a second comma in place-names that include city and state (he came from Smith’s
Falls, Virginia, to drive the car), but it seems to me that the internal comma serves to separate the town name from the state
name, and not to set off a nonrestrictive phrase, so it need not be followed by the second comma. Does this make sense?
A. Yes, it makes sense, but as we know, that is irrelevant.
[This answer relies on the 17th edition of CMOS (2017) unless otherwise noted.]