Hyphens
English: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 2.10.4
Using Hyphens
Hyphens are dashes that we use between words that describe a noun. So words with hyphens are adjectives.
Hyphens
- Hyphens are dashes.
- We use hyphens between words that describe a noun.
- So words with hyphens are adjectives.
- This is a hyphen: -
The boy had sky blue eyes
- When there is no dash, it is not clear what this sentence means.
- 'Sky' is a noun.
- 'Blue' is an adjective.
The boy had sky-blue eyes
- When there is a dash, we know that the eyes are sky-blue coloured.
- 'Sky-blue' is an adjective.
The girl was cold hearted
- When there is no dash, is it not clear what this sentence means.
- The two adjectives 'cold' and 'hearted' seem unrelated.
The girl was cold-hearted
- When there is a dash, it is clear that the girl is not very affectionate.
- The adjective 'cold-hearted' means that she is not affectionate.
Test yourself on Hyphens
What is a dash between words called?
Where should the hyphen go in this sentence?
The bone eating dog.What type of word is power-hungry?
The power-hungry man