Super Grammar: The Hyphen

Monday, May 16, 2011

The Hyphen

(Here’s another one of our latest character designs.  We had a lot of fun with this character, especially with his hair design.  We wound up using a lot more hair gel than we thought we’d need, but in the end, it was well worth it.)

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All words have the power to communicate their own specific meaning, but very often, when you need to communicate a larger, more complex meaning—one word alone just won’t cut it.  That’s when you need the power of The Hyphen on your side.   

--> -->This punctuation superhero has the power to join two or more words together into a single, one-of-a-kind, supercharged word.  Thanks to The Hyphen, we can use extraordinary words and expressions like sub-zero, outer-space, and cloak-and-dagger in our sentences.  And although joining words together is by far his most impressive power, The Hyphen is also capable of showing the connection between the two parts of the same word which have been separated by a line break in a sentence.

SUPER POWERS:
The Hyphen has the power to join two or more words together, creating a new word or expression with a powerful, combined meaning.  The Hyphen can also show a connection between the two parts of a word which have been separated at a line break.

USE THE HYPHEN FOR:
  • Two or more words that form a new word or expression
  • Adding prefixes
  • Compound numbers
  • Spelled-out fractions
  • To show a connection between the two parts of a word at a line break   
SUPER EXAMPLES:

#1)

Her powers are mind-numbing!


mind-numbing: two or more words that form a new word

#2)
 
We’ll have to fight them back-to-back.


back-to-back: two or more words that form a new expression

#3)

My anti-gravity boots are working just fine.


anti-gravity: adding prefixes

#4)

I’ve broken out of prison twenty-six times. 


twenty-six: compound numbers

#5)
 
My body is three-quarters robotic.


three-quarters: spelling-out fractions

#6)

If we don’t shut down the power to the experi-
mental reactor, we will all be annihilated.


experi-mental: to show a connection at a line break