The document explains the use of hyphens in compound modifiers, highlighting the difference in hyphenation between phrases like 'well-known fact' and 'this fact is well known.' It also discusses the application of hyphens in phrases with more than two words, like 'three-week-old plants,' and introduces the concept of suspended hyphens. Additionally, it notes that adverbs ending in 'ly' are never hyphenated.

1. Hyphenation when using two words to describe a third one

2. Compare the sentences "This is a well-known fact" and "This fact is well known." Why does the first sentence contain a hyphen but the second one does not? It is because in the first sentence, well and known together modify the noun fact . In another example, instead of writing "bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics," you may prefer to write "antibiotic-resistant bacteria," again using the hyphen to indicate that both antibiotic and resistant apply to the noun bacteria .

3. In grammar, such pairs are known as compound modifiers , and hyphens are employed to emphasize that the two modifiers are together modifying the noun following them . The same convention applies even when a noun is modified by more than two words, typically seen in phrases such as "three-week-old plants" and "black-and-white prints."

4. Sometimes, you may wish to use two compound modifiers with a single noun, as in "two- and three-step processes" and "inter- and intra-specific competition." Such hyphens are referred to as "suspended," "hanging," or "dangling" hyphens. Note that adverbs ending in ly are never followed by a hyphen, as in "a practically impossible idea" and "a negatively charged ion." Reference: [1] The Mineralogical Record www.minrec.org/editing.asp

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