Hyphenating Compound Modifiers Before a Noun
Hyphenating Compound Modifiers Before a Noun summarizes Microsoft’s clarity- and structure-based technical-style guidance.
Hyphenate a compound modifier before a noun when the structure or clarity calls for it; do not apply a blanket “hyphenate every compound” rule.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This is Microsoft style guidance, not a claim that every publisher or discipline uses identical hyphenation conventions.
Further guidance
Content
Hyphenation depends on structure and clarity rather than a rule that every multiword pre-noun modifier must be hyphenated.
Practical Application
Hyphenate a multiword modifier before a noun when the hyphen clarifies that the words work together as one modifier or when the governing style requires it. Avoid mechanical hyphenation when the structure is already clear or a style-specific exception applies.
Purpose
Use Microsoft’s compound-modifier guidance to prevent ambiguous readings while avoiding unnecessary or suspended constructions.
Reader Check
Could the pre-noun word group be misread if its parts are not visibly linked, and does your house style call for a hyphen in this construction?
Worked Example
Write “a high-risk project” when “high-risk” jointly modifies “project”; do not assume the same phrase needs a hyphen in every grammatical position, such as “the project is high risk,” without checking the governing style.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Hyphens — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Microsoft technical-style guidance for compound modifiers and hyphenation