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Hyphens with the Prefix re

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 cause confusion with another word.

Example: Will she recover from her illness?
Re does not mean again so no hyphen.

Example: I have re-covered the sofa twice.
Re does mean again AND omitting the hyphen would have caused confusion with another word so hyphenate.

Example: The stamps have been reissued.
Re means again but would not cause confusion with another word so no hyphen.

Example: I must re-press the shirt.
Re means again AND omitting the hyphen would cause confusion with another word so hyphenate.

Posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 9:06 am

This/That/These/Those – Demonstrative Adjectives

The demonstrative adjectives—this/that/these/those—tell us where an object is located and how many objects there are.

This/ThatThis and that are used to point to one object. This points to something nearby while that points to something “over there.”
Examples: This dog is mine.
This is mine.
That dog is hers.
That is hers.
These/ThoseThese and those refer to more than one object. These points to things nearby while those points to things “over there.”
Examples: These babies have been smiling for a while.
These are mine.
Those babies in the nursery have been crying for hours.
Those are yours.

Posted on Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 at 9:09 am

Hyphens with Common Prefixes

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. Therefore, the correct answer is nonalcoholic beverages.

Examples: uninviting
uninterested
noncompetitive
preexisting
pretest
posttest
Exception: When adding the common prefix will create a double i or double a, use a hyphen.
Examples: ultra-ambitious
semi-invalid
Exception: When common prefixes are attached to hyphenated compounds, they take hyphens too.
Examples: non-iron-bearing sulphides
non-English-speaking countries
Note: The prefix non has a hyphen following because it is attached to a proper noun.

Posted on Tuesday, March 16th, 2010 at 9:09 am

Oscar Mayer Wieners and the Subjunctive Mood

An E-Newsletter fan came across this sentence:
If I were very lucky, I would get the chance to go. She asked, “Shouldn’t I be followed by was, not were, since I is singular?”

Let me answer that by asking you a question: Are you old enough to remember the ad jingle that began, “I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener…”? These two sentences are both examples of the subjunctive mood, which refers to the expression of a hypothetical, wishful, imaginary, or factually contradictory thought. The subjunctive mood pairs singular subjects with what we usually think of as plural verbs. The subjunctive is often used in “that” and “if” clauses.

Examples:
She requested that he raise his hand.
If I were rich, I’d sail around the world.

Normally, he raise would sound terrible to us. However, in the example above, where a request or wish is being expressed, he raise, the subjunctive mood is correct. In the second example, a wish contrary to fact is being expressed; therefore, were, which we normally think of as a plural verb, is used with the singular subject I.

The subjunctive mood is losing ground in spoken English but should still be used in formal speech and writing.

Posted on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 9:11 am

Writing Elegantly

Most of us know clumsy sentences when we hear or read them, but we don’t always know exactly why they are clumsy or possess the skills to fix them. An E-Newsletter reader heard the awkwardness of the following sentence but was puzzled by how to reword it.

The network that this computer is able to connect to contains information that is privileged and confidential.

She may have felt uncomfortable about “able to connect to” because it sounds like a dangling modifier. However, this is just a symptom of bigger problems. The clumsiness is caused by several common writing errors:

*Unnecessary dependent clauses
Get rid of that is/which is, that are/which are clauses whenever possible.

*Extraneous verb phrases
Delete verb phrases that don’t add meaning: is able to.

*Subjects too far away from their verbs
Place subjects closer to their verbs: computer connects, network contains.

*Redundancy
Weed out repetitious words: Confidential and privileged mean the same thing in this context.

Finally, tweak the wording so that the sentence flows:
This computer connects to a network containing confidential information.

For more tips on effective writing, including using specific rather than vague language, active vs. passive voice, and parallel form, click here.

Posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 at 9:12 am