Punctuation isn’t just minutia—it shapes tone and clarity. Let’s analyze the suspensive hyphen, which is supported by major style guides and helps simplify compounds.
Articles Tagged punctuation
Hyphenation Headaches: Navigating -ly Adverb Rules
Should “cost effectively” be hyphenated? Learn the rules for compound modifiers, -ly adverbs, and hyphenation from The Chicago Manual of Style and beyond.
Such Examples as These
Lots can be learned from the experiences of others. An editing forum sparked this deep dive into using a comma for restrictive and nonrestrictive phrases.
Hyphenating “X-Year-Olds,” Part 2: What We Actually Do
Would you write 56-years-old, or 56 years old? There’s more than one answer, so let’s investigate why so many writers disagree.
Hyphenating “X-Year-Olds” Part 1: What the Experts Say
Would you write 56-years-old, or 56 years old? Hyphenation can be confusing for editors, especially when certain style guides disagree.
Dash It All
Hyphens and dashes are common pieces of punctuation that can really improve your writing—if you know how to use them.
Advanced Apostrophe Rules: Possession, Omission, and Plurals
Become a star punctuation user! Learn advanced apostrophe rules about showing possession, omission, and plurality.
Punctuation Point: Joining Independent Clauses
You can join independent clauses in any number of ways. The use of commas is the most common method, but not the only one.
Punctuation Point: How to Use Brackets
Brackets are those square parentheses next to the letter P on most keyboards: [ ]. Do you know how to use them properly?
Punctuation Point: Possessing the Apostrophe
Learn to use the apostrophe for possession in a variety of forms with this handy blog post.
