Hyphen Quiz

By Rhonda Ramsey,

P.O.V. Contributing Writer

 

 

I often bookmark great websites, so that I can go back and relearn the things I have forgotten or have not mastered just yet. I find myself browsing websites and struggling to remember which words are hyphenated, and at Writing Center Underground, I was pleased to find some really helpful information:

“So what exactly are the rules to using hyphens?

“Unfortunately, there is no definitive guide for hyphen usage. Different style manuals show different guidelines, and hyphen usage has changed over the years. Words that previously were hyphenated no longer require hyphenation. In 2007, the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary removed the hyphens from 16,000 entries. With the advent of computer technology, words that were previously hyphenated now are one word, such as hyperlink and toolbar. However, use of the hyphen is still required for compound adjective constructions, the most common use of hyphens.”

Uses of a Hyphen

“Use a hyphen in a compound adjective beginning with an adverb. Spaces are not used between the hyphen and the words it is separating:

Best-known work
American-football player
Ill-prepared student
Well-liked celebrity...”

If you are ever stumped, please take a look at the above website, as well as Terribly Write. But first, try a short quiz and try testing your knowledge of the hyphen.

1)

backstabbing

back-stabbing

2)

breathtaking

breath-taking

3)

counter-intuitive

counterintuitive

4)

downright

down-right

5)

hobnob

hob-nob

6)

latch-key

latchkey

7)

mainstream
main-stream

8)

midweek
mid-week

9)

nevertheless
never-the-less

10)

new-found

newfound

11)

night-time

nighttime

12)

nonetheless

none-the-less

Answers:

backstabbing
breathtaking
counterintuitive
downright
hobnob
latchkey
mainstream
midweek
nevertheless
newfound
nighttime
nonetheless

Source:  30 Words That Don’t Need a Hyphen

Everything You Ever Wantedto Know About Hyphens But Were Afraid to Ask