Question

Can you tell me if the following should be hyphenated? I am proofreading a paper and am having trouble with some hyphens.

Two-bedroom
Kettle-pot
Five-hundred-dollars
Gift-giving
Twenty-year-old
Clean-shaven
Twenty-dollar-bill
Eighteen-hundreds
Long-fingered
Blood-drenched
Snow-covered
Eighty-pounds
Hard-cushioned
One-hundred-years

Answer 1

Here are the things that you did correct, and some things that need improvement:

Explanation:

1.) Two-bedroom: This is correct.

2.) Kettle-pot: You can say one or the other. Pot and Kettle both mean the same thing. The hyphen is also unnecessary.

3.) Five-hundred-dollars: The hyphen is unnecessary here. Five hundred dollars is all you need to put.

4.) Gift-giving: This correct.

5.) Twenty-year-old: This is correct.

6.) Clean-shaven: This is correct.

7.) Twenty-dollar-bill: The hyphen is unnecessary here. This is in the same situation as, 'Five-hundred-dollars.'

8.) Eighteen-hundreds: If you're writing a date, write it in numerical form; 1800's. If not, then lose the hyphen.

9.) Long-fingered: The hyphen is unnecessary here.

10.) Blood-drenched: This does not need a hyphen. Same rules apply to, 'blood soaked.'

11.) Snow-covered: Hyphen is not needed.

12.) Eighty-pounds: Hyphen must be included if this is referring to weight. If this is referrring to British currencey, then the hyphen is unnecessary.

13.) Hard-cushioned: Hyphen isn't necessary.

14.) One-hundred-years: Hyphens are not need needed when speaking of time. Such as, 'twenty one seconds.'