Using hyphens
The director told us that there would be room for only tow busloads, or eighty-four people.
The play was going to be in an old-fashioned theater.
Between-acts the theater was completely dark, but the orchestra continued to play anyway.
The vice-president was played by Luke Lowe.
The first two and the fourth are fine.
Re-think the third sentence.
Using hyphens correctly can help clarify the meaning of a sentence and improve readability. Here are some examples of how hyphens are correctly used in the given sentences:
1. The director told us that there would be room for only two busloads, or eighty-four people.
- In this sentence, the hyphen is used in the compound word "two busloads" to connect the two words and show that they function together as a single unit to describe the capacity of the room.
2. The play was going to be in an old-fashioned theater.
- In this sentence, there are no hyphens necessary as there are no compound words or word combinations that need to be linked together.
3. Between-acts the theater was completely dark, but the orchestra continued to play anyway.
- In this sentence, a hyphen is used in "between-acts" to connect the two words and form a compound modifier that describes the theater being dark. The hyphen helps to make the meaning clear and avoid confusion.
4. The vice-president was played by Luke Lowe.
- There are no hyphens needed in this sentence as there are no compound words or word combinations that require linking.
Remember, hyphens are primarily used to connect compound words or combine words in specific situations. It's important to use them correctly to enhance clarity and understanding in your writing.