Economist Style Guide - Redress Information & Analysis

9 Avoiding ambiguities
a little-used car fi ne-tooth comb (most people third-world war
a little used-car do not comb their teeth) third world war
cross complaint high-school girl
cross-complaint high schoolgirl
10 Aircraft
DC-10 MiG-23
Mirage F-1E Lockheed P-3 Orion
(If in doubt, consult Jane’s “All the World’s Aircraft”.)
Note that Airbus A340, BAe RJ70 do not have hyphens.
11 Calibres
The style for calibres is 50mm or 105mm with no hyphen, but 5.5inch
and 25-pounder.
12 Adjectives formed from two or more words
70-year-old judge
balance-of-payments diffi culties
private-sector wages
public-sector borrowing requirement
right-wing groups (but the right wing of the party)
state-of-the-union message
value-added tax (VAT)
13 Adverbs
Adverbs do not need to be linked to participles or adjectives by
hyphens in simple constructions:
The regiment was ill equipped for its task.
The principle is well established.
Though expensively educated, the journalist knew no grammar.
But if the adverb is one of two words together being used
adjectivally, a hyphen may be needed:
The ill-equipped regiment was soon repulsed.
All well-established principles should be periodically challenged.
hyphens
The hyphen is especially likely to be needed if the adverb is
short and common, such as ill, little, much and well. Less common
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