When dealing with compound modifiers, heed this advice from The Associated Press Stylebook: "Do not use a hyphen between adverbs ending in '-ly' and adjectives they modify." For example, no hyphens ...

Antiepileptic, microorganism or antiarrhythmic do not have a hyphen. Also use hyphens for compound adjectives if it makes them clearer ('a cost-effective treatment' but 'the treatment was cost ...

Hyphenaters used to be fearless. Bad to the bone. Unflinching in the face of multi-word adjectives that required two or even three hyphens. An editor would see the terms “anti” and “social” and “media ...

I saw a discussion on a closed Facebook site about hyphenating compounds, and there was considerable variation of views. The use of hyphens is a vexatious matter even for experienced writers, so ...

Note: I wrote this addendum to The Gazette's stylebook several months ago. I wish it had never come to that. The truth is, I'm an ardent fan of the hyphen. Where critics see it as overly pedantic, I ...

Don’t read this column. Really. It’s not like the other articles out there that impart knowledge. Instead, this one could leave you feeling like you know less than you did before you started reading.

Meghan Walbert is Lifehacker's Managing Editor. She has a degree in journalism and has worked at Lifehacker as a writer and editor since 2018, covering parenting, foster care, online child safety, and ...