3. An Exclamation Point Begins with the writer’s emotions and intentions and demands that the reader feels them too. Loud noises, sudden actions. Thwack! Apology, endearment, reproach, menace, discovery, supplication, protest, name-calling, irony, dread and astonishment. Verb-less sentences. Interrogatory sentences.
4. Let’s Try It Out! Look at his cumbersome biceps! His very own flesh and blood! Stop acerbating me! Aargh! How did you pour your big body into that paper airplane! Ooh-la- la!
5. A Period A period is the closing mark for declarative sentences, mildly imperative sentences, and verb-less sentences that are not questioning or exciting. There were never enough bodies around for all the souls who wanted to jump in them. Come here, you little rascal. His own mother, too.
6. A comma A comma is a delicate kink in time, a pause within a sentence, a chance to catch your breath. I fondled his lapel, and I caressed his socks.
7. Compounds & Hyphenation? Tabletop? Table top? Table-top? You have to look it up in the dictionary.
8. Compounds are formed differently with different parts of speech. Compound nouns follow no particular logic. Check your style-book and your dictionary, and if a compound isn’t listed in either, then it’s two words—unless it’s a verb-plus—preposition formation. Backache, backbeat, backbite and back seat back pain Back yard (noun) Backyard (adjective Backyard barbecue We played in the back yard.
9. Verb plus proposition compound nouns When something is made over, it’s a make-over; when something is built up, it’s a buildup; when someone is knocked down, it’s a knockdown; when someone breaks in, it’s a break-in; when you print something out, it’s a printout. Verb versus noun---do you see the difference?
10. Compound Verbs should be hyphenated! Holyfield head-butted his opponent. I copy-edited the story. She pole-vaulted.
11. Compound modifiers generally must be hyphenated A victory on the home field is a home-field victory. There are exceptions to the hyphenate-all-compound-modifiers rule: Single proper noun Single expression contained in quotations marks Foreign-language phrases Percentages and dollar amounts And then just exceptions that editors use
12. Exceptions High school graduate Clinton administration officials Ice cream cone Real estate agent Law enforcement officer Health care plan
13. Some editors are phobic of hyphens Have a rule that eliminates the hyphen from modifiers unless doing so would result in confusion. Orange juice salesman Orange-juice salesman Orange salesman? Small business man Small-business man
14. Fool’s Compounds Grilled cheese sandwich Is not grilled-cheese sandwich or a sandwich of grilled cheese Color tv sets not color-tv sets or sets of color tv
15. Two Adjectives and a Comma A comma can be inserted between two adjectives if an “and” can be inserted between them. Peachy, creamy complexion Peachy and creamy complexion WRONG: Peachy-creamy complexion is not a complexion of peachy creamy…..
16. Think About The Three Doubles Adjective-adjective noun Adjective adjective noun Adjective, adjective noun
17. A hyphen connects some compound words used as nouns and adjectives. This was a curiosity-provoking peepshow said the pseudo sophisticated ball of fire to the pink-faced stick-in-the-mud as they cuddled half-heartedly over a pint of beer in a gothic-hole-in-the-wall.
18. A hyphen is not used when a compound adjective or modifier follows the noun. He pounded on her ill-tempered clavicles. His clavicles were ill tempered. The starry-eyed sycophant prowled about… The sycophant looked starry eyed.
19. When a compound begins with an adverb ending in “ly”, no hyphen is allowed. A freakishly attired ombudsman…
20. What to Do? Look below for a smattering of compound words: No-win situation Painkiller Archfiend Star-crossed Bankroll Credit card Amateur night Razzmatazz
22. If you are compounding your own perceptions into new words—hyphenate! I was lurch-left by his abnegation. They broke the story with such extra-extra-read-all-about-it-verisimilitude…
23. You can have hyphenated first names: Too-Too Lablanca
