Hyphenation Exercise (112)

Choose the sentence in which the compounds are hyphenated correctly:

    1.
    Sometimes he behaves like a five-year-old child.
    Sometimes he behaves like a five year old child.

    2.
    Treatment for cyanide poisoning includes a small inhaled dose of amyl-nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium-nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium-thiosulfate.
    Treatment for cyanide poisoning includes a small inhaled dose of amyl nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium thiosulfate.

    3.
    To prove his point, he made use of an a-priori argument.
    To prove his point, he made use of an a priori argument.

    4.
    We travelled northeast for twenty miles, then turned and went east-northeast for another five.
    We travelled northeast for twenty miles, then turned and went eastnortheast for another five.

    5.
    Mr. Monk was not satisfied with a half hour session.
    Mr. Monk was not satisfied with a half-hour session.

Answers and Explanations

1. Sometimes he behaves like a five-year-old child.
Age terms are hyphenated in their adjective forms.

2. Treatment for cyanide poisoning includes a small inhaled dose of amyl nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium nitrite, followed by intravenous sodium thiosulfate.
Chemical terms are not hyphenated, neither as nouns or adjectives.

3. To prove his point, he made use of an a priori argument.
Foreign expressions that are not hyphenated in the source language are are not hyphenated in English.

4. We travelled northeast for twenty miles, then turned and went east-northeast for another five.
Compass points and directions are closed in their noun, adjective and adverb forms, unless three directions are combined. In that case, a hyphen is placed after the first direction.

5. Mr. Monk was not satisfied with a half-hour session.
A compound formed with a fraction is hyphenated when it’s used as an adjective.

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