Hyphenating Words :

What is the rule for Hyphenating Words?


Compound adjectives are usually hyphenated. So we have :

a high-quality performance

a ten-dollar note

a blue-eyed boy

With multiple compounds, it is usually the first two adjectives or the most adjective-like that are hyphenated. So we have :

a deep-seated gravitational slope

a high-quality virtuoso performance

Note also the pattern :

part- and full-time jobs

high- and low-tide phenomena

However, if adjectives are placed after the verb, they are usually not hyphenated. Compare

an out-of-work actor

an up-to-date account

He was out of work.

She was up to date.