Style Guides and Hyphenation: AP vs. Chicago

Style Guides and Hyphenation: AP vs. Chicago

Okay, so lets talk about style guides, those (sometimes) beloved, (sometimes) dreaded rulebooks that govern how we write. Specifically, were going to wade into the murky waters of hyphenation, and how two titans of the style guide world – the Associated Press (AP) and the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) – approach this particular grammatical beast.

Why does any of this even matter? Well, consistency, for one.

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Imagine reading a newspaper that randomly hyphenated words, or a novel where the rules seemed to change from page to page. It would be a total mess, right? Style guides provide that consistency, ensuring clarity and professionalism in our writing. Theyre the unsung heroes of readability, keeping us from descending into chaos.

Now, onto hyphenation. It might seem like a small thing, just a tiny dash, but it can dramatically alter meaning. Is it a "small business owner" or a "small-business owner"? See the difference?

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The first implies the owner is small, the second describes the size of the business. Hyphens connect words to create compound adjectives, clarify relationships, and generally prevent ambiguity.

The AP Stylebook, primarily used by journalists, aims for simplicity and speed. Think concise and to the point. Their approach to hyphenation is generally more conservative (meaning they use fewer hyphens) than Chicagos. They prefer to avoid hyphens whenever possible, especially in commonly used phrases. For example, they might write "health care law" rather than "health-care law," unless the hyphen is absolutely necessary for clarity. They also favor avoiding hyphens in compound modifiers following the noun they modify: "The decision was long awaited" (no hyphen).

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They are all about quick, easy-to-understand rules.

The Chicago Manual of Style, on the other hand, is the go-to for book publishers, academics, and anyone dealing with more formal, in-depth writing. Chicago is more liberal (meaning they use more hyphens). They tend to hyphenate compound modifiers before a noun, even when AP might not. So, theyd likely write "well-known author" whereas AP might consider "well known author" acceptable. CMOS also provides a more detailed and nuanced set of rules, covering a wider range of situations.

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They offer extensive lists of prefixes and suffixes and how they interact with hyphens, providing a guide for nearly every conceivable scenario.

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They prioritize precision and clarity, even if it means a more complex rule set.

The key difference boils down to purpose and audience.

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AP is designed for rapid dissemination of information to a broad audience. Chicago is geared towards more deliberate, scholarly communication.

So, which style guide should you use? That depends! Consider your audience, the type of writing youre doing, and any specific guidelines provided by your publisher or organization. If youre writing a newspaper article, AP is your friend. If youre writing a dissertation, Chicago is probably the way to go.

Ultimately, both style guides are valuable resources. They provide the framework for clear and consistent writing. While their approaches to hyphenation may differ, their goal is the same: to help us communicate effectively and avoid any grammatical misunderstandings (and maybe, just maybe, prevent a few heated debates among editors).

Hyphenation Rules for Prefixes and Suffixes