How do I know that I have to put a hyphen in a compound word.
- Do not use a hyphen unless it serves a purpose. If a compound adjective cannot be misread or, as with many psychological terms, its meaning is established, a hyphen is not necessary.
For example:
- "the adolescents resided in two parent homes" means that two homes served as residences, whereas if the adolescents resided in "two-parent homes," they each would live in a household headed by two parents.
A properly placed hyphen helps the reader understand the intended meaning.
Also use hyphens for
Compounds in which the base word is
- capitalised: pro-Freudian
- a number: post-1970
- an abbreviation: pre-UCS trial
- more than one word: non-achievement-oriented students
All "self-" compounds whether they are adjectives or nouns
- self-report
- self-esteem
- the test was self-paced
Exception: self psychology
Words that could be misunderstood
- re-pair [pair again]
- re-form [form again]
- un-ionized
Words in which the prefix ends and the base word begins with the same vowel
- meta-analysis
- anti-intellectual
- co-occur