Hyphen Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Which sentence correctly uses an age as a noun?
An eight year old entered the spelling bee.
The winner was an eight-year old from Leeds.
That eight year-old accepted the trophy.
The eight-year-old won the spelling bee.
2. Which sentence correctly treats “decision making” as a compound modifier before “process”?
The team improved its decision-making process.
Managers reviewed the decision-making-process yesterday.
The committee changed its decision making-method.
Training strengthened the group’s decision making process.
3. The phrase “up to date” appears after a linking verb. Which sentence follows the standard convention?
The software is up to date.
Our records remain up-to date.
The online calendar looks up to-date.
Every installed program is up-to-date.
4. Which sentence correctly hyphenates “part time” when it modifies a noun?
Maya applied for a part time position.
Maya accepted a part-time job.
The company advertised a part time-role.
Her new part-time-job begins Monday.
5. You are describing the duration of a meeting before the noun. Which sentence is correct?
We arranged a two-hours planning meeting.
The two hour-meeting begins at noon.
Staff attended a two hour strategy session.
We scheduled a two-hour meeting.
6. Which sentence uses a hyphen correctly for a compound modifier before a noun?
The editor praised her well written proposal.
Her proposal contained a well written-summary.
She submitted a well-written proposal.
The proposal was well-written and concise.
7. Which sentence correctly uses the prefix “ex-” to mean former?
At the reunion, I spoke with an ex manager from the sales team.
An exmanager attended the company reunion.
Our ex-manager now works for a publisher.
The former-manager declined to comment.
8. A novelist has won several awards. Which sentence correctly turns that information into a modifier before the noun?
The award-winning novelist spoke first.
An award winning author opened the festival.
The award winning-novelist signed every book.
A celebrated award-winning-writer joined the panel.
9. A writer wants to describe a critique that shows awareness of the writer’s own limitations. Which sentence uses the standard form?
The essay ends with a self aware critique.
Her selfaware comments acknowledge several limitations.
She offered a self-aware critique.
The author included a self-awareness critique of the evidence.
10. Which version correctly expresses a delay lasting five and a half hours when the duration modifies “delay”?
Passengers faced a five and a half hour delay.
The airline announced a five-and-a-half hour wait.
Travelers reported a five-and-a-half-hours delay.
It was a five-and-a-half-hour delay.
11. Now “up to date” appears directly before a noun. Which sentence is correctly hyphenated?
Install the latest up to date software.
Consult an up to-date directory.
The office needs an up-to date database.
Install the up-to-date software.
12. A sentence begins with the number 36 written in words. Which version is correctly punctuated?
Thirty-six students joined the workshop.
Thirty six participants arrived before noon.
Thirty-six-students registered for the event.
A thirty six-student group attended the workshop.
13. An editor is describing a technician with a modifier beginning in “highly.” Which sentence is standard?
The company recruited a highly-skilled technician.
They hired a highly skilled technician.
A highly-trained specialist repaired the system.
The technician seemed highly-skilled during the interview.
14. The description “well written” now comes after the noun. Which sentence follows standard edited-English usage?
The final proposal remained well-written.
Everyone agreed that the proposal was written-well.
The proposal was well written.
They described the proposal as well-written.
15. A school event includes separate groups of first-year and second-year students. Which shortened form uses suspended hyphenation correctly?
First and second year students both attended the event.
The event welcomed first- and second-year students.
Both first-and second-year groups attended.
Staff introduced the first-and-second-year students together.
16. An upholsterer will put a new covering on a chair. Which wording uses a hyphen to distinguish that action from “recover,” meaning to regain?
The upholsterer intends to re cover the antique chair.
They plan to re-cover the chair with linen.
The note says the shop will recover a missing chair.
The chair will receive a re covering in blue fabric.