What are the rules of using the hyphen?

Question

When and why are hyphens used?

Why are they used in words such as "deep-sea" and "good-natured"?

Answer 1

Often they are used when the words in which the hyphen appears are modifying a third term. In the case above, for example, you'd have "good-natured person' where "good natured" is modifying "person" so it requires a hyphen.

Answer 2

a million. Use a hyphen to connect 2 or extra words serving as a single adjective in the previous a noun: a one-way highway chocolate-lined peanuts properly-prevalent author whether, whilst compound modifiers come after a noun, they don't look to be hyphenated: The peanuts have been chocolate lined. the author replace into properly prevalent. 2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers: 40-six sixty-3 Our lots-enjoyed instructor replace into sixty-3 years previous. 3. Use a hyphen to dodge confusion or a clumsy combination of letters: re-sign a petition (vs. renounce from a job) semi-self sustaining (yet semiconscious) shell-like (yet childlike) 4. Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -%; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters: ex-husband effective mid-September all-inclusive mayor-% anti-American T-shirt pre-Civil conflict mid-Nineteen Eighties 5. Use a hyphen to divide words on the tip of a line if needed, and make the ruin in basic terms between syllables: pref-er-ence sell-ing in-di-vid-u-al-ist For line breaks, divide already hyphenated words in basic terms on the hyphen: industrially produced self-extensive wakeful For line breaks in words ending in -ing, if a single very final consonant interior the basis word is doubled in the previous the suffix, hyphenate between the consonants; in any different case, hyphenate on the suffix itself: plan-ning run-ning driv-ing call-ing by no skill placed the 1st or final letter of a word on the tip or initiating of a line, and don't placed 2-letter suffixes on the initiating of a sparkling line: stunning (do not separate to leave ly initiating a sparkling line.) eval-u-ate (Separate in basic terms on the two ingredient of the u; do not leave the preliminary e- on the tip of a line