Hyphens in Grade 9 ELA
A Grade 9 ELA worksheet focusing on the correct usage of hyphens in compound adjectives, numbers, and to avoid ambiguity.
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Standards
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Hyphens: A Guide to Proper Usage
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Read each section carefully and follow the instructions to complete the exercises. This worksheet will help you understand and correctly use hyphens in your writing.
Hyphens serve several purposes in English grammar, primarily to join words and clarify meaning. They are distinct from dashes (en dash, em dash) and should be used precisely. Common uses include forming compound adjectives, writing out numbers, and preventing ambiguity.
Add a hyphen where necessary to form a compound adjective. If no hyphen is needed, write 'No hyphen'.
1. The well known author signed copies of her new book.
2. He drove a bright red car.
3. She is a highly intelligent student.
4. We watched a twenty minute video.
5. The dog was well behaved at the park.
Choose the sentence that correctly uses hyphens with numbers or fractions.
6. Which sentence is correctly punctuated?
There were thirty five students in the class.
There were thirty-five students in the class.
There were thirty, five students in the class.
There were thirty; five students in the class.
7. Which sentence correctly uses a hyphen with a fraction?
About one half of the cake was eaten.
About one-half of the cake was eaten.
About one, half of the cake was eaten.
About one half-of the cake was eaten.
Determine if the hyphen is correctly used to avoid ambiguity in the following sentences. Mark True or False.
8. The re-cover of the book was beautiful.
True
False
9. She chose to re-sign the contract.
True
False
10. Write two sentences. In the first sentence, use 'twenty four' without a hyphen. In the second sentence, use 'twenty-four' as a compound number or adjective. Explain the difference in meaning or usage.
11. Imagine you are writing a short story about a character who has a very unique, hyphenated name (e.g., Lily-Mae, John-Paul) and a strong, well-defined personality. Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) describing this character, making sure to use at least three different instances of correct hyphenation, including one compound adjective and one number written out. For example, 'The thirty-year-old artist often painted thought-provoking landscapes.'