THE HYPHEN.
Rule I. Compound Words.—The hyphen is used to connect the parts of a compound word.
EXAMPLES.
“My household-gods plant a terrible fixed foot, and are not to be rooted up without blood.”—Lamb.
“The breezy call of incense-breathing morn.”—Gray.
REMARKS.
1. A compound word is formed by placing together two simple words.
2. Sometimes several words are connected together by hyphens; as, “He had a lively touch-and-go-away with him, very pleasant and engaging I admit.”—Wilkie Collins.
3. When a compound word comes into very general use, the hyphen is sometimes omitted; as, railroad, steamboat, bookstore.
4. To-day, to-night, to-morrow, should always be written with a hyphen.
5. When there is any doubt whether two words should be united by a hyphen or written as one word, some standard dictionary should be consulted. It will, however, be found that even dictionaries differ somewhat in the use and omission of the hyphen in compound words. In order to preserve some uniformity in spelling and in the formation of compound words, every writer should make either Webster or Worcester the final authority.
Rule II. Prefixes.—When a prefix ends in a vowel, and the word to which it is joined commences with a vowel, they should be separated by a hyphen.
EXAMPLES.
Re-admit, co-ordinate, pre-existence, pre-eminent.
REMARKS.
1. A prefix is a letter, syllable, or word, placed before some word, thus forming a new word.
2. If, instead of two vowels, a vowel and a consonant come together, the prefix and the word to which it is joined should usually be written as one word; as, rewrite, predetermine.
3. Vice-president, and most words with vice as a prefix, should be written with a hyphen.
4. Some writers use the diæresis instead of the hyphen. With prefixes it is better to use the hyphen, but in other words containing two vowels that do not form a diphthong, the diæresis should be used; as, Zoölogy.
Rule III. Division of Words.—When it is necessary to write part of a word at the end of a line and part at the beginning of the next line, the division should be made at the end of a syllable, and the parts should be connected by a hyphen, at the end of the line.
EXAMPLE.
“Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a sub-
ject ourselves, or we know where we can find in-
formation upon it.”—Dr. Johnson.
REMARKS.
1. It is better to divide a word as near the middle as possible.
2. When two words one at the end of a line and the other at the commencement of the following line, are separated by a punctuation mark, it should be placed at the end of the line, and never at the beginning.