Search results for “hyphen”

Many of us find hyphens confusing. The prefix re can make hyphenating even more of a head-scratching experience. However, there is really only one rule that you need to learn to determine when to hyphenate with re. Rule: Use the hyphen with the prefix re only when re means again AND omitting the hyphen would …

Should we use a hyphen with a common prefix such as non or un? For example, is it non-alcoholic beverages or nonalcoholic beverages? Generally, with common prefixes, you do not need to use a hyphen unless it would avoid possible confusion.  Therefore, most writers would write nonalcoholic beverages. Examples: uninviting uninterested noncompetitive preexisting (some writers …

Sometimes it can be easy to confuse dashes with hyphens when writing or editing content. For example, you might see text such as 9am-5pm in one reference and 9am–5pm in another. Which is correct? The two different marks do not interfere with our understanding of the intended information; however, one mark is more precise than the other. …

As we learned together in 2023, we can explore a lot of grammatical ground during twelve months. Between January and December, we reviewed subjects from stative verbs to nominal numbers to anastrophe. We look forward to continuing more linguistic review and discovery with you in 2024. Before we move farther down the trail, we'll first …

Many of us have heard of prefixes and suffixes along the way in learning English grammar. Prefixes and suffixes both belong to a larger category, the affix. An affix is any bound morpheme attached to a root word to form a new word or word form with a new meaning. Because they are morphemes, affixes …

Should you write setup or set up? Which one is correct? We will look at the difference between the expressions so that you will be set up for success with them in your writing. The Difference Between Setup and Set Up Setup and set up are obviously alike, and both can be correct in certain …

Let's say you need to speak with a boarding agent about your flight. Or perhaps you're interested in an associate's progress on a project, or you just want to see how a friend's day is coming along. Any of these inquiries might be described as “checking in.” It's an easy concept to understand and to …

The concept of case in English involves the relationship of a noun, a pronoun, or an adjective (also referred to as a determiner) with other parts of a sentence. The possessive case often conveys possession or ownership, such as Joseph's book or my opinion. It is the only case in which nouns alter their form …

Percentages are common in our daily communication. They express groups of numbers in ways that let us quickly interpret them and relate them to one another. At the same time, we might wonder how we should present these figures in our writing. Do we use 10 per cent, 10 percent, or 10%? Let's review some …

We at times receive questions concerning the proper way to address outbound mail and, in particular, use zip codes. Because your goal and ours is to achieve precision in writing, we'll take a closer look at zip codes and how you can treat them in your correspondence. What Is a ZIP Code? Zip codes today …