What are examples of hyphenated compound nouns?

There are no specific rules on forming compound nouns. Hyphens are often used to reduce confusion in a sentence. For example, the compound noun 'wire clip' is perfectly acceptable as a compound noun, but for a term like 'plastic wire-clip', the hyphen makes it more readable. The compound Word is correct with or without the hyphen.

Some examples of hyphenated compound nouns are:

• A-frame
• about-face
• ad-lib
• African-American
• break-in
• bride-to-be
• brother-in-law
• cover-up
• ex-husband
• ex-wife
• father-in-law
• fifty-five
• get-together
• great-grandmother
• half-sister
• jack-in-the-box
• jack-in-the-pulpit
• know-how
• make-up
• mother-in-law
• ne'er-do-well
• nitty-gritty
• passer-by
• president-elect
• self-assurance
• self-help
• six-pack
• six-pack
• sixty-six
• soft-soap
• T-shirt (or tee-shirt)
• V-neck
• voice-over
• warm-up
• well-being
• x-ray