Saying Goodbye to Good- bye: How Hyphen Use Changes Over Time. The hyphen, along with its cousins the en and em dash, may be the most misunderstood punctuation mark in English. Hyphens are used to join parts of a word or compound phrase, as in ex- wife, full- length mirror, and by- the- book negotiations. As the Chicago Manual of Style puts it, “Far and away the most common spelling questions for writers and editors concern compound terms—whether to spell as two words, hyphenate, or close up as a single word.”One reason that hyphenation is so complex: it changes over time.
(For more information see Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Tables. Insisting on a single term or a single usage as the only correct. The Chicago Manual of Style. CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE. 6.50 Commas For the location of a. place an em dash after the closing quotation. grammar, and other usage questions (e.g. As the Chicago Manual of Style. the usage of the em dash. over a hyphen, as per Chicago Manual of Style. The en-dash is also used in place of a. Em Dashes and Ellipses: Closed or Spaced. Sure. but those set you up for a discussion on usage, not style. There's a part in the Chicago Manual of Style. Chicago Manual Style. Most modern usage authorities opt for what The Chicago Manual of Style calls “a spare. (Chicago Manual of Style, §2.13). — Em dash. Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes. What is the difference in usage between an em dash and an en dash? The Chicago Manual of Style 15th edition text © 1982.
A tour through the Google n. Gram view of many common words reveals their hyphenated predecessors: co- operate became cooperate, to morrow became to- morrow and then tomorrow, and good- bye became goodbye (though both are still acceptable). Some modern terms, like website/web site, have recently settled their usage wars, but email/e- mail is still anyone’s guess. Email may be slowly winning that battle, though uses of e- book outnumber the closed ebook and e. Book. A dictionary definition is often the best place to go to seek clarification, or at least understand your options. Another reason hyphenation can be confounding is that the best practices of usage leave room for interpretation. The main function of hyphens in compound modifiers, or groups of words working together to modify a noun, is to eliminate ambiguity of meaning.
Style and usage guides vary, [1] but often in this function en dashes are used with spaces and em dashes are used without them: [2]. The Chicago Manual of Style. Q. What is the difference in usage between an em dash and an en dash? A. I will try to condense the various bits of information scattered throughout CMOS. Editorial Style Guide for. Chicago Manual of Style, published by the University of Chicago. Dash There are two types of dash. Chicago Manual of Style. (including new usage). Instead, place an em dash after the closing quotation marks.
For example, in the phrase “up- to- date technology,” we hyphenate “up- to- date” to signal that these three words are to be read as one concept, or adjective, functioning to modify the word “technology.” This way, nobody will make the mistake of reading this phrase as an expression of readiness to go on a romantic date with technology, or as a readiness to mark technology with the day, month and year. In another example, a “heavy- metal detector” detects heavy metals (or perhaps heavy- metal music), but a “heavy metal detector” is a metal detector that is heavy. However, ambiguity can be a subjective matter; as the Chicago Manual states: “Where no ambiguity could result…hyphenation is not needed.”Age terms are another stumbling point for many. The hyphenation in the following two examples is appropriate: I have to babysit my three- year- old cousin; he has a five- year- old. However, in the following sentence in which the age comes after (rather than before) the noun it modifies, no hyphenation is needed: Sheila is seven years old.
One trick of the trade is to look for the plural of “years” in such constructions. If the word “years” is plural, chances are the construction does not need hyphenation. Compound modifiers in which the adverb ends in - ly do not take a hyphen, as in overly thorough exam. In addition to numerous sections devoted to hyphens, the Chicago Manual also offers a 1.
What problems do you have with hyphens? Do you have any hyphen questions you’d like to see addressed on the Dictionary. Love learning about punctuation?
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What is the difference in usage between an em dash and an en dash? Q. What is the difference in usage between an em dash and an en dash?
A. I will try to condense the various bits of information scattered throughout CMOS. First of all, there are three lengths of what are all more or less dashes: hyphen (- ), en dash (–). I frame it this way because the work they do is roughly related to their length (though. I don’t think CMOS puts it this way outright). The hyphen connects two things that are intimately related, usually words that function together as a single concept or work. The en dash connects things that are related to each other by distance, as in the May–September issue. May- September issue, because June, July, and August are also ostensibly included.
And in fact en dashes specify any kind of range, which is why they properly appear in indexes when a range. En dashes are also used to connect a prefix to a proper open compound. World War II. In that example, “pre” is. World War II” and therefore has to do a little. World War II” is a proper noun).
Now, that is a rather fussy. The em dash has several uses. It allows, in a manner similar to parentheses, an additional thought to be added within a sentence. I’ve done here. Its use or misuse. Em dashes also substitute for something missing. For example, in a bibliographic. In interrupted speech, one or two em dashes may be used: “I.
Then. just what were you trying to do?” Also, the em dash may serve as a sort of bullet point, as in this. This explanation is not intended to be exhaustive (for much more, see chapter 6 in CMOS 1.
I do hope that it helps to frame the different potential of each length of dash.