How to use hanging hyphens

How to use hanging hyphens

For compounds with a hyphen, use a hyphen with both prefixes:

short- and long-term solutions     full- and part-time consultants

For compounds that would normally be set solid, use a hanging hyphen with the prefix of the first term:

pre- and postnatal     under- and overestimate

Do not use hanging hyphens for base words with different suffixes or last words, because they are usually difficult for the reader to understand:

lifeguard and lifeboat training   not   lifeguard and -boat training

he was caught red-faced and red-handed   not   he was caught red-faced and -handed

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