Identify in each sentence below whether, according to The Chicago Manual of Style and most other style guides, the word with a prefix should have a hyphen connecting the prefix to the base word or whether the prefix should be directly attached to the base word.
1.
a) The anti-immigration group solicited signatures for their petition.
b) The antiimmigration group solicited signatures for their petition.
2.
a) She is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
b) She is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
3.
a) They hope to reestablish contact.
b) They hope to re-establish contact.
4.
a) The multibillion-dollar project is behind schedule.
b) The multi-billion-dollar project is behind schedule.
5.
a) His midcareer move was risky.
b) His mid-career move was risky.
Answers and Explanations
Whether a prefix is hyphenated to a root word or directly attached varies depending on a range of factors, but in most cases, no hyphen is necessary. Consult a dictionary when in doubt.
1.
a) The anti-immigration group solicited signatures for their petition.
Prefixes ending with an i are always hyphenated to a root word beginning with i.
2.
b) She is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder.
Post is always attached to a root word without a hyphen, even when the root word begins with a t.
3.
a) They hope to reestablish contact.
Re is almost always attached directly to a root word without a hyphen, even when the root word begins with an e. (Rare exceptions that make distinctions between homophones include re-cover, meaning “to cover again,” to distinguish it from recover, meaning “to obtain again.”)
4.
a) The multibillion-dollar project is behind schedule.
Multi is always directly attached to a word designating an order of magnitude.
5.
a) His midcareer move was risky.
In most words beginning with mid, the prefix is attached directly to the root word.
Some writer in this very newsletter claimed that “multi-billion dollar budget was right”.
It was instantly clear that this was specious, especially considering these {multimillionaire, multitrillion dollar debt, a multiprocessor computer, a multifaceted gem, a multilane freeway, a multinational treaty, a multirole performance by Peter Sellers, and a multirole helicopter like the SH-63F “Seahawk”}.
As seen in the Wikipedia too many times, “multi-role” is incorrect.
The “Seahawk” is not just a weapon of war, such as antisubmarine warfare, but rather is also serves in medical evacuations, in search-and-rescue operations, in humanitarian relief missions, in expedited transfers of personnel and supplies, in scouting, and in weather reporting. This is “multirole”, and that is why it is called a “LAMPS III” helicopter, where LAMPS = Light Airborne Multipurpose System”.
Aha! “multipurpose”, as in a multipurpose home PC, too.
D.A.W.