When NOT to Use a Hyphen: 6 Rules for Scopists

The hyphen is the smallest mark on the keyboard, and it gets asked to do far too many jobs. In a transcript, a stray hyphen can change how a sentence reads, or make a clean record look sloppy. Its real job is narrow: it joins words into a single unit, like cross-examination, sister-in-law, or a two-hour deposition.

Everything below is something a hyphen does not do. Learn these, and you’ll catch most hyphen errors on the first pass.

1. A hyphen doesn’t connect two complete sentences

When a witness says two complete thoughts back to back, they need a period, a semicolon, or a comma with a conjunction. A hyphen can’t hold them together.

Wrong: I left work at five- I drove straight home.
Right: I left work at five. I drove straight home.
Also right: I left work at five; I drove straight home.

2. A hyphen isn’t a dash

Witnesses interrupt themselves, trail off, and talk over the attorney. Those breaks are marked with a dash, which is a different mark from a hyphen. In many court reporting styles, the dash is typed as two hyphens (–). Always follow the reporter’s style sheet, but never let a single hyphen stand in for a dash.

Wrong: I was going to – well, I changed my mind.
Right: I was going to — well, I changed my mind.

3. A hyphen doesn’t introduce a list or an explanation

When a sentence builds up to a list or a definition, that’s the colon’s job.

Wrong: She brought three exhibits – the lease, the invoice, and the photographs.
Right: She brought three exhibits: the lease, the invoice, and the photographs.

4. A hyphen doesn’t set off an aside

Extra information tucked into the middle of a sentence belongs inside commas, parentheses, or dashes. A pair of hyphens just looks like a typo.

Wrong: The defendant – who had been drinking – refused the test.
Right: The defendant, who had been drinking, refused the test.

5. No hyphen after “very” or an -ly adverb

Words like very, clearly, and carefully already tell the reader what they modify, so they never need a hyphen to connect them.

Wrong: a carefully-worded answer, a very-long day
Right: a carefully worded answer, a very long day

6. No hyphen when the description comes after the noun

Compound descriptions are usually hyphenated when they come before the noun and left open when they come after it.

Before the noun: a well-known expert, a full-time job
After the noun: The expert is well known. She works full time.

Quick check

Fix the hyphen in each sentence. Answers are below.

1. I didn’t see the car- it came out of nowhere.
2. He was a highly-paid consultant.
3. The report covers two issues – liability and damages.
4. My neighbor – the one with the dog – called the police.
5. The witness was well-prepared.

Answers:

1. I didn’t see the car. It came out of nowhere.
2. He was a highly paid consultant.
3. The report covers two issues: liability and damages.
4. My neighbor, the one with the dog, called the police.
5. The witness was well prepared.

When you’re unsure, ask yourself one question: Am I joining words into a single unit? If the answer is no, the hyphen probably doesn’t belong.