Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[sabrinak]

Hello,


As far as I know, hypen is used like this:


The singer is well-known worldwide. (X)
The singer is well known worldwide. (O)


They want to meet the well-known singer. (O)
They want to meet the well known singer. (X)



Am I right?


Thank you for your attention.

[Eric Thompson]

Dear Sabrinak: You are correct, assuming the (X) means 'no' and (O) means 'yes'. A hyphen is used when 'well' and 'known' modify a noun (singer), like in your 2nd sentence. In your 1st sentence, 'well' modifies 'known': it's very straightforward and a hyphen is not needed. The 2nd sentence is less straightforward: 'well' has several meanings. Ok? -- Eric