SPELLING RULE

(COMPOUND
WORDS)
Nur Amanina Binti Ibrahim
 InEnglish, words, particularly adjectives and nouns, are
combined into compound structures in a variety of ways.
 Once they are formed, they sometimes metamorphose
over time.
eg: 2 words - fire & fly
will be joined by a hyphen for a time - fire-fly
then be joined into one word - firefly
 There is only one sure way to know how to spell
compounds in English: use an authoritative dictionary.
 Forms of compound words
 Closed form
- the words are melded together
firefly, secondhand, softball, childlike,
crosstown, redhead, keyboard, makeup, notebook
 Hyphenated form

daughter-in-law, master-at-arms, over-the-

counter, six-pack, six-year-old, mass-produced
 Open form

- written as separate words

post office, real estate, middle class, full moon,
half sister, attorney general
 Compound adjectives
 Compound adjectives are hyphenated when they
appear before nouns
cross-country trip, full-length mirror, half-
baked
 When compounded modifiers precede a noun, they
are often hyphenated
part-time teacher, fifty-yard-wide field, fire-
resistant curtains, high-speed chase
 When those same modifying words come after the
noun, however, they are not hyphenated
a field fifty yards wide
 Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives are
hyphenated when compounded with other modifiers
the highest-priced car, the shorter-term loan
 When a compound adjective is temporary and not in the
dictionary, it is customary to hyphenate it
horseshoe-shaped driveway, top-ranked athlete,
velvet-trimmed coat
 Using a hyphen is especially important if the compound
adjective could mislead a reader
- fast-moving van means a van that is going fast
- fast moving van means a moving van that is going
fast
 Compound adverbs
 Most compound adverbs are written as two words
distributed all over, going full speed
 Adverbial compounds beginning with over or under are
spelled solid
overeagerly, underhandedly
 Adverbial compounds consisting of spelled-out fractions
are hyphenated
two-thirds completed
 Adverbs, words ending in -ly, are not hyphenated when
compounded with other modifiers
a highly rated bank, a partially refunded ticket,
publicly held securities
Plurals
 For hyphenated forms, the pluralizing -s is usually
attached to the element that is actually being
pluralized
daughters-in-law, half-moons, mayors-elect
 Hyphenated and open compounds are regularly
made plural by the addition of the plural
inflection to the element that is subject to the
change in number
fathers-in-law, sergeants-in-arms, doctors of
philosophy, courts-martial
 Asa general rule, the plural form of an element in a
hierarchical term belongs to the base element in the
term, regardless of the base element's placement:
- first sergeants
- sergeants major
- sergeants first class
- colonel generals [Russian]
- lieutenant generals
- lieutenant colonels
- master mechanics
- deputy librarians
- deputy assistant secretaries of state
Compounds with Prefixes

 Witha handful of exceptions, compounds created

by the addition of a prefix are not hyphenated
antisocial, binomial, biochemistry, coordinate,
extraordinary, interrelated, macroeconomics,
metaphysical, midtown, multicultural, postwar,
preconference, reunify, semiconductor,
socioeconomic, supertanker, transatlantic,
unnatural, underdeveloped
Exceptions include
 compounds in which the second element is capitalized or
a number
anti-Semitic, pre-1998, post-Freudian
 compounds which need hyphens to avoid confusion

un-ionized (as distinguished from unionized)

 compounds in which a vowel would be repeated
(especially to avoid confusion)
semi-independent, anti-intellectual
 compounds consisting of more than one word

non-English-speaking, pre-Civil War

 compounds that would be difficult to read without a
hyphen
pro-life, pro-choice, co-edited