Use hyphens in the following situations: Use in compound numbers and fractions. Combine two adjectives that are working together to describe the same noun. Example: Maria is a self-conscious writer.

Prenominal adjectives precede the noun its modifies and it must occur in the same NP (see L222). Consider the italicized parts of the following two sentences: (1) The student is eager. (2) The eager ...

These adjectives indicate how many or how much. I have twenty pounds in my wallet. There were three boys and two girls. You were only supposed to eat half of the pizza. Get the balance right when ...