Business Letters How to Write Them

xpress a specific meaning, they should be joined with a hyphen or written solid. Take, for example, iron fence, iron-saw, and ironwood. An iron fence is a fence made of iron, which is clearly expressed when written as two words. Iron-saw, a saw made to cut iron, if not connected with the hyphen, would convey the wrong idea?that it is a saw made of iron. Ironwood, a kind of hard wood, clearly conveys the meaning when written solid. In general, it may be said that no expression in the language should ever be changed from two or more words into one?either hyphenated or solid?without a change of sense. Many compound words, once written with the hyphen, through long usage, have come to be written as one word. While there is a lack of uniformity in the manner of writing compound words, the following rules reflect the general usage: 1. Vice and ex used as parts of titles are connected with the other part of the title by a hyphen. ex-President Roosevel... --This text refers to the Paperback edition.