[U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual]
[Chapter 6 - Compounding Rules]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]
6.1. A compound word is a union of two or more words, either with or
without a hyphen. It conveys a unit idea that is not as clearly
or quickly conveyed by the component words in unconnected
succession. The hyphen is a mark of punctuation that not only
unites but also separates the component words; it facilitates
understanding, aids readability, and ensures correct
pronunciation. When compound words must be divided at the end
of a line, such division should be made leaving prefixes and
combining forms of more than one syllable intact.
6.2. In applying the rules in this chapter and in using the list of
examples in the following chapter, ``Compounding Examples,''
the fluid nature of our language should be kept in mind. Word
forms constantly undergo modification. Although it is often
the case that hyphenated compound words eventually lose their
hyphen, many of them start out unhyphenated.
6.3. The rules, therefore, are somewhat flexible. Exceptions must
necessarily be allowed. Current language trends continue to
point to closing up certain words which, through either
frequent use or widespread dissemination through modern media
exposure, have become fixed in the reader's mind as units of
thought. The tendency to merge two short words continues to be
a natural progression toward better communication.
General rules
6.4. In general, omit the hyphen when words appear in regular order
and the omission causes no ambiguity in sense or sound.
banking hours eye opener real estate
blood pressure fellow citizen rock candy
book value living costs training ship
census taker palm oil violin teacher
day laborer patent right
6.5. Words are usually combined to express a literal or nonliteral
(figurative) unit idea that would not be as clearly expressed in
unconnected succession.
afterglow forget-me-not right-of-way
bookkeeping gentleman whitewash
cupboard newsprint
6.6. A derivative of a compound retains the solid or hyphenated form
of the original compound unless otherwise indicated.
coldbloodedness outlawry Y-shaped
footnoting praiseworthiness
ill-advisedly railroader
6.7. A hyphen is used to avoid doubling a vowel or tripling a
consonant, except after the short prefi xes co, de, pre, pro,
and re, which are generally printed solid. (See also rules 6.29
and 6.32.)
cooperation semi-independent shell-like
deemphasis brass-smith hull-less
preexisiting Inverness-shire but
anti-inflation thimble-eye co-occupant
micro-organism ultra-atomic cross section
Solid compounds
6.8. Print solid two nouns that form a third when the compound has
only one primary accent, especially when the prefixed noun
consists of only one syllable or when one of the elements loses
its original accent.
airship cupboard footnote
bathroom dressmaker locksmith
bookseller fishmonger workman
6.9. Print solid a noun consisting of a short verb and an adverb as
its second element, except when the use of the solid form would
interfere with comprehension.
blowout builddown flareback
breakdown cooldown giveaway
hangover runoff but
holdup setup cut-in
makeready showdown phase-in
markoff thowaway run-in
pickup tradeoff sit-in
6.10. Compounds beginning with the following nouns are usually
printed solid.
book mill snow
eye play way
horse school wood
house shop work
6.11. Compounds ending in the following are usually printed solid,
especially when the prefixed word consists of one syllable.
berry keeping room
bird land shop
blossom light site
board like skin
boat line smith
book load stone
borne maid store
bound maker tail
box making tight
boy man time (not clock)
brained master ward
bug mate ware
bush mill water
cam mistress way
craft monger wear
field over weed
fish owner wide
flower but #ownership wise
fly person woman
girl picker wood
grower picking work
headed piece worker
hearted plane working
holder power worm
hopper proof worthy
house roach writer
keeper
6.12. Print solid any, every, no, and some when combined with body,
thing, and where. When one is the second element, print as two
words if meaning a single or particular person or thing. To
avoid mispronunciation, print no one as two words at all times.
anybody everywhere somebody
anything everyone something
anywhere nobody somewhere
anyone nothing someone
everybody nowhere
everything no one
but any one of us may stay; every one of the pilots is responsible;
every body was accounted for
6.13. Print compound personal pronouns as one word.
herself oneself yourself
himself ourselves yourselves
itself themselves
myself thyself
6.14. Print as one word compass directions consisting of two points,
but use a hyphen after the first point when three points are
combined.
northeast north-northeast
southwest south-southwest
also north-south alignment
Unit modifiers
6.15. Print a hyphen between words, or abbreviations and words,
combined to form a unit modifier immediately preceding the word
modified, except as indicated in rule 6.16 and elsewhere
throughout this chapter. This applies particularly to
combinations in which one element is a present or past
participle.
agreed-upon standards Federal-State-local cooperation
Baltimore-Washington road German-English descent
collective-bargaining talks guided-missile program
contested-election case hearing-impaired class
contract-bar rule high-speed line
cost-of-living increase large-scale project
drought-stricken area law-abiding citizen
English-speaking nation long-term loan
fire-tested material line-item veto
long-term-payment loan U.S.-owned property; U.S.-
flagship
low-cost housing 1-inch diameter; 2-inch-
diameter pipe
lump-sum payment a 4-percent increase, the
10-percent rise
most-favored-nation clause but
multiple-purpose uses 4 percent citric acid
no-par-value stock 4 percent interest. (Note the
absence of an article: a,
an, or the. The word of is
understood here.)
one-on-one situation
part-time personnel
rust-resistant covering
service-connected disability
state-of-the-art technology
supply-side economics
tool-and-die maker
up-or-down vote
6.16. Where meaning is clear and readability is not aided, it is not
necessary to use a hyphen to form a temporary or made compound.
Restraint should be exercised in forming unnecessary
combinations of words used in normal sequence.
atomic energy power national defense
appropriation
bituminous coal industry natural gas company
child welfare plan per capita expenditure
civil rights case Portland cement plant
civil service examination production credit loan
durable goods industry public at large
flood control study public utility plant
free enterprise system real estate tax
ground water levels small businessman
high school student Social Security pension
elementary school grade soil conservation measures
income tax form special delivery mail
interstate commerce law parcel post delivery
land bank loan speech correction class
land use program but no-hyphen rule (readabi-
lity aided); not no hyphen
rule
life insurance company
mutual security funds
6.17. Print without a hyphen a compound predicate (either adjective or
noun) whose second element is a present participle.
The duties were price
fixing. The shale was oil bearing.
The effects were far
reaching. The area is used for beet
raising.
6.18. Print without a hyphen a compound predicate adjective the
second element of which is a past participle. Omit the hyphen
in a predicate modifier of comparative or superlative degree.
The area is drought
stricken. This material is fire tested.
The paper is fine grained. The cars are higher priced.
Moderately fine grained
wood. The reporters are better
informed.
6.19. Print without a hyphen a two-word modifier the first element of
which is a comparative or superlative.
better drained soil but
best liked books uppercrust society
higher level decision lowercase, uppercase type
highest priced apartment upperclassman
larger sized dress bestseller (noun)
better paying job lighter-than-air craft
lower income group higher-than-market price
6.20. Do not use a hyphen in a two-word unit modifier the first
element of which is an adverb ending in ly, nor use hyphens in
a three-word unit modifier the first two elements of which are
adverbs.
eagerly awaited moment but
wholly owned subsidiary ever-normal granary
unusually well preserved
specimen ever-rising flood
very well defined usage still-new car
longer than usual lunch
period still-lingering doubt
not too distant future well-known lawyer
most often heard phrase well-kept secret
6.21. Proper nouns used as unit modifiers, either in their basic or
derived form, retain their original form; but the hyphen is
printed when combining forms.
Latin American countries Seventh-day Adventists
North Carolina roads but
a Mexican-American Minneapolis-St. Paul region
South American trade North American-South American
Spanish-American pride sphere
Winston-Salem festival French-English descent
African-American program Washington-Wilkes-Barre route
Anglo-Saxon period or Washington/Wilkes-Barre
Franco-Prussian War route
6.22. Do not confuse a modifier with the word it modifies.
elderly clothesman well-trained schoolteacher
old-clothes man elementary school teacher
competent shoemaker preschool children (kinder-
garten)
wooden-shoe maker pre-school children (before
school)
field canning factory rezoned wastesite
tomato-canning factory hazardous-waste site
brave servicemen
service men and women but
light blue hat (weight) common stockholder
light-blue hat (color) stock ownership
average taxpayer small businessman
income-tax payer working men and women
American flagship (military) steam powerplant site
American-flagship meat packinghouse owner
6.23. Where two or more hyphenated compounds have a common basic
element but this element is omitted in all but the last term,
the hyphens are retained.
2- to 3- and 4- to 5-ton trucks
2- by 4-inch boards, but boards 2 to 6 inches wide
8-, 10-, and 16-foot boards
6.4-, 3.1-, and 2-percent pay raises
moss- and ivy-covered walls, not moss and ivy-covered walls
long- and short-term money rates, not long and short-term
money rates
but twofold or threefold, not two or threefold
goat, sheep, and calf skins, not goat, sheep, and calfskins
intrastate and intracity, not intra-state and -city
American owned and managed companies
preoperative and postoperative examination
6.24. Do not use a hyphen in a unit modifier consisting of a foreign
phrase.
ante bellum days ex officio member per diem
employee
bona fide transaction per capita tax prima facie
evidence
6.25. Do not print a hyphen in a unit modifier containing a letter or
a numeral as its second element.
abstract B pages class II railroad point 4 program
article 3 provisions grade A milk ward D beds
6.26. Do not use a hyphen in a unit modifier enclosed in quotation
marks unless it is normally a hyphenated term, but quotation
marks are not to be used in lieu of a hyphen.
``blue sky'' law but
``good neighbor'' policy right-to-work law
``tie-in'' sale line-item veto
6.27. Print combination color terms as separate words, but use a
hyphen when such color terms are unit modifiers.
bluish green bluish-green feathers
dark green iron-gray sink
orange red silver-gray body
6.28. Do not use a hyphen between independent adjectives preceding a
noun.
big gray cat a fine old southern gentleman
Prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms
6.29. Print solid combining forms and prefixes, except as indicated
elsewhere.
afterbirth infrared peripatetic
Anglomania interview planoconvex
antedate intraspinal polynodal
antislavery introvert postscript
biweekly isometric preexist
bylaw macroanalysis proconsul
circumnavigation mesothorax pseudoscholastic
cisalpine metagenesis reenact
cooperate microphone retrospect
contraposition misstate semiofficial
countercase monogram stepfather
deenergize multicolor subsecretary
demitasse neophyte supermarket
excommunicate nonneutral thermocouple
extracurricular offset transonic
foretell outbake transship
heroicomic overactive tricolor
hypersensitive pancosmic ultraviolet
hypoacid paracentric unnecessary
inbound particoated underflow
6.30. Print solid combining forms and suffixes, except as indicated
elsewhere.
portable geography procurement
coverage manhood innermost
operate selfish partnership
plebiscite pumpkin lonesome
twentyfold meatless homestead
spoonful outlet northward
kilogram wavelike clockwise
6.31. Print solid words ending in like, but use a hyphen to avoid
tripling a consonant or when the first element is a proper
name.
lifelike girllike Scotland-like
lilylike bell-like McArtor-like
6.32. Use a hyphen or hyphens to prevent mispronunciation, to ensure
a definite accent on each element of the compound, or to avoid
ambiguity.
anti-hog-cholera serum re-cover (cover again)
co-occurrence re-creation (create
again)
co-op re-lay (lay again)
mid-decade re-sorting (sort again)
multi-ply (several plies) re-treat (treat again)
non-civil-service position un-ionized
non-tumor-bearing tissue un-uniformity
pre-midcourse review
pre-position (before) but
pro-choice rereferred
pro-life rereviewed
6.33. Use a hyphen to join duplicated prefixes.
re-redirect sub-subcommittee super-superla-
tive
6.34. Print with a hyphen the prefixes ex, self, and quasi.
ex-governor quasi-argument
ex-serviceman quasi-corporation
ex-son-in-law quasi-young
ex-vice-president
self-control but
self-educated selfhood
quasi-academic selfsame
6.35. Unless usage demands otherwise, use a hyphen to join a prefix or
combining form to a capitalized word. (The hyphen is retained in
words of this class set in caps.)
anti-American non-Federal
pro-British
un-American but
non-Government nongovernmental
neo-Nazi overanglicize
post-World War II transatlantic
or post-Second World War
Numerical compounds
6.36. Print a hyphen between the elements of compound numbers from
twenty-one to ninety-nine and in adjective compounds with a
numerical first element.
twenty-one three-and-twenty
twenty-first two-sided question
6-footer multimillion-dollar fund
6-foot-11-inch man 10-dollar-per-car tax
24-inch ruler thirty- (30-) day period
3-week vacation but
8-hour day one hundred twenty-one
10-minute delay 100-odd
20th-century progress foursome
3-to-1 ratio threescore
5-to-4 vote foursquare
.22-caliber cartridge $20 million airfield
2-cent-per-pound tax second grade children
four-in-hand tie
6.37. Print without a hyphen a modifi er consisting of a possessive
noun preceded by a numeral. (See also rule 8.14.)
1 month's layoff 3 weeks' vacation
1 week's pay 1 minute's delay
2 hours' work but a 1-minute delay
6.38. Print a hyphen between the elements of a fraction, but omit it
between the numerator and the denominator when the hyphen
appears in either or in both.
one-thousandth twenty-three thirtieths
two-thirds twenty-one thirty-
seconds
two one-thousandths three-fourths of an
inch
6.39. A unit modifier following and reading back to the word or words
modified takes a hyphen and is printed in the singular.
motor, alternating-current, 3-phase, 60-cycle, 115-volt
glass jars: 5-gallon, 2-gallon, 1-quart
belts: 2-inch, 1 1/4-inch, 1/2-inch, 1/4-inch
Civil and military titles
6.40. Do not hyphenate a civil or military title denoting a single
office, but print a double title with a hyphen.
ambassador at large secretary-treasurer
assistant attorney general sergeant at arms
commander in chief treasurer-manager
comptroller general under secretary
Congressman at Large but under-secretary-
ship
major general vice president
notary public but vice-presidency
secretary general
6.41. The adjectives elect and designate, as the last element of a
title, require a hyphen.
President-elect (Federal) ambassador-designate
Vice-President-elect (Federal) minister-designate
Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development-designate
Scientific and technical terms
6.42. Do not print a hyphen in scientific terms (names of chemicals,
diseases, animals, insects, plants) used as unit modifiers if
no hyphen appears in their original form.
carbon monoxide poisoning whooping cough remedy
guinea pig raising
hog cholera serum but
methyl bromide solution Russian-olive plantings
stem rust control Douglas-fir tree
equivalent uranium content
6.43. Chemical elements used in combination with figures use a
hyphen, except with superior figures.
Freon-12 uranium-235 Sr\90\
polonium-210 U\235\ \92\U\234\
6.44. Note use of hyphens and closeup punctuation in chemical
formulas.
9-nitroanthra(1,9,4,10)bis(1)oxathiazone-2,7-bisdioxide
Cr-Ni-Mo
2,4-D
6.45. Print a hyphen between the elements of technical or contrived
compound units of measurement.
candela-hour light-year work-year
crop-year passenger-mile but kilowatthour
horsepower-hour staff-hour
Improvised compounds
6.46. Print with a hyphen the elements of an improvised compound.
blue-pencil (v.) George ``Pay-As-You-
Go'' Miller
18-year-old (n., u.m.) stick-in-the-mud (n.)
know-it-all (n.) let-George-do-it
attitude
know-how (n.) how-to-be-beautiful
course
lick-the-finger-and-test-the-wind hard-and-fast rule
economics penny-wise and pound-
foolish policy
make-believe (n., u.m.) first-come-first-served
basis
one-man-one-vote principle but a basis of first come,
first served
roll-on/roll-off ship
6.47. Use hyphens in a prepositional-phrase compound noun consisting
of three or more words.
cat-o'-nine-tails man-of-war but
government-in-exile mother-in-law heir at law
grant-in-aid mother-of-pearl next of kin
jack-in-the-box patent-in-fee officer in
charge
6.48. When the corresponding noun form is printed as separate words,
the verb form is always hyphenated.
cold-shoulder blue-pencil cross-brace
6.49. Print a hyphen in a compound formed of repetitive or conflict-
ing terms and in a compound naming the same thing under two
aspects.
boogie-woogie hanky-panky young-old
comedy-ballet murder-suicide but
dead-alive nitty-gritty bowwow
devil-devil pitter-patter dillydally
even-stephen razzle-dazzle hubbub
farce-melodrama walkie-talkie nitwit
fiddle-faddle willy-nilly riff raff
6.50. Use a hyphen in a nonliteral compound expression containing
anapostrophe in its first element.
asses'-eyes bull's-eye crow's-nest
ass's-foot cat's-paw
6.51. Use a hyphen to join a single capital letter to a noun or a
participle.
H-bomb C-section but
I-beam V-necked x ray
T-shaped S-iron x raying
U-boat T-square S turns
C-chip X-ed out
6.52. Print idiomatic phrases without hyphens.
come by insofar as nowadays
inasmuch as Monday week