15 words that don't really need a hyphen

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Even if you really want to put it.

1. "Fast food", not "fast food"

The concept that unites burgers, sausages in dough and shawarma came to us from the English language. In the original, it is written in two words: fast food. In Russian there were various spellings, but in spelling dictionaries there was only one - continuous.

2. "Slowly", not "quietly"

With the prefix "po" everything is not easy. There is a rule of adverbs with the prefix "po" ending in "-th, -mu, -ski, -tski, -yi", according to which "po" with adverbs is written with a hyphen. However, it applies only to those words that end in "-th", "-mu", "-i", "-ski", "-tski", "-ki" and "-y". For example, “in English”, “new” or “still”. Slowly, the ending is different, so the spelling is continuous.

3. "Little things", not "little things"

And here is another rule. In this case, "by" is not a prefix, but which is written separately with nouns. You can check this by inserting a third between the two words (for example, "for any little thing").

4. "Widely known", not "widely known"

To write correctly, it is necessary to distinguish between complex adjectives that require a hyphen (for example, "blue-green" or "physico-chemical"), from combinations of an adverb and an adjective ("well-known"). The difference is that the adverb can be matched with a clarifying question: known as? - broadly. This trick won't work with a complex adjective.

5. "Economy class", not "economy class"

I really want to put a hyphen here by analogy with "business class", but you should not do that. "Economy class" is an abbreviated word that comes from "economy class" and is therefore spelled. For example, the word "demo" - "demo version" is formed according to the same principle.

6. "Businesswoman", not "Businesswoman"

Again, the insidious "business" is confusing. Business analyst, business lunch, or business conference are hyphenated. This is because each part is a separate word and can be used independently. But the word "woman" in the Russian language is not, therefore "businesswoman" is written. As, by the way, the "businessman" - for the same reason.

7. Side-by-side, not side-by-side

Again, it's a matter of analogies. Most likely, you are guided by the spelling "exactly". But this word refers to exceptions. The rest of the adverbial expressions, which consist of two nouns and a preposition, are written separately.

8. "Video conferencing", not "video conferencing"

A concept that has firmly entered our life this spring. Despite the fact that almost everyone had to get acquainted with Zoom and other similar platforms, many people misspelled the word "video conferencing". Although everything is simple: you need to remember that complex words in which the first foreign language part ends in a vowel are written together. Rules for continuous, hyphenated and separate spelling.

9. "Microeconomics", not "micro-economics"

Here the rule is the same as in the previous paragraph, but confusion still arises. And all due to the fact that in the Russian language there are words starting with "mini-". The meanings of "micro" and "mini" are very similar, but the spelling. For example, "miniskirt" or "minibar". There is no separate rule for "mini", you just need to remember.

10. "Media file", not "media file"

Repetition is the mother of learning. Therefore, here is a third example of a continuous spelling of complex words with a borrowed first part, which ends with a vowel. I would like to put a hyphen here because the word “online media” exists. But in this case, "media-" is at the end, and the hyphen is due to the spelling of the "online-" part.

11. "Antimonopoly", not "anti-monopoly"

Everything is much simpler here. You just need to remember that words with foreign language prefixes (like “hyper-”, “post-”, “extra-” and others) are written together. Rules of continuous, hyphenated and separate spelling. Except for the words with the prefix "ex-" in the meaning of "former" - "ex-president".

12. "Super-smart", not "super-smart"

In Russian there is an independent word "super", so it seems that it always needs to be written separately or, in extreme cases, through a hyphen. Don't give in to this urge. If "super" is part of another word, then it is a prefix and is written: super-smart, super-game, super-strength.

13. "Good old", not "good old"

The desire to write "good old" with a hyphen is quite understandable. After all, there are such words as “lived-were”, “walked-wandered”. They contain a hyphen, because they are fixed expressions, parts of which are close in meaning. The adjectives "old" and "kind" characterize the subject from different sides, which means they are written separately.

14. "Feng Shui", not "Feng Shui"

The word "feng shui" came to us from the Chinese language, and before that the hyphenated spelling was really correct. But over time, the norms have changed. Now in the "Spelling Dictionary of the Russian Language" there is only a spelling variant - together.

15. Rush hour, not rush hour

No rules and no logic. We'll have to remember: "rush hour" is written.