Editing Hyphen (section)

==== Suspended hyphens ====
{{anchor|Suspended hyphens}}<!-- Section header used as link target in redirects -->

A '''suspended hyphen''' (also called a '''suspensive hyphen''' or '''hanging hyphen''', or less commonly a '''dangling''' or '''floating hyphen''') may be used when a single base word is used with separate, consecutive, hyphenated words that are connected by "and", "or", or "to". For example, ''short-term and long-term plans'' may be written as ''short- and long-term plans.'' This usage is now common and specifically recommended in some style guides.<ref name="IU Style Guide">E.g. {{cite web |url=https://brand.iu.edu/messaging-strategy/editorial-style/style-guide/h.html |title=H |work=The IU editorial style guide |publisher=Indiana University |access-date=9 March 2019 |archive-date=14 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190614170302/https://brand.iu.edu/messaging-strategy/editorial-style/style-guide/h.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Suspended hyphens are also used, though less commonly, when the base word comes first, such as in "investor-owned and {{nowrap|-operated}}". Uses such as "applied and sociolinguistics" (instead of "applied linguistics and sociolinguistics") are frowned upon; the Indiana University style guide uses this example and says "Do not 'take a shortcut' when the first expression is ordinarily open" (i.e., ordinarily two separate words).<ref name="IU Style Guide" /> This is different, however, from instances where prefixes that are normally closed up (styled solidly) are used suspensively. For example, ''{{nowrap|preoperative and postoperative}}'' becomes ''{{nowrap|pre- and postoperative}}'' (not ''{{nowrap|pre- and post-operative}}'') when suspended. Some editors prefer to avoid suspending such pairs, choosing instead to write out both words in full.<ref name="AMA10section8.3.1" />