The English Oracle

Is the usage of a hyphen in "ad hoc" acceptable?

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Chapters
00:00 Is The Usage Of A Hyphen In &Quot;Ad Hoc&Quot; Acceptable?
00:32 Accepted Answer Score 11
00:52 Answer 2 Score 2
01:18 Thank you

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Tags
#punctuation #hyphenation #latin #compoundadjectives

#avk47



ACCEPTED ANSWER

Score 11


The rule-of-thumb I've found in researching this issue, (though no reference to a specific style guide was referenced – one site linked here) is if Latin and other foreign phrases are not hyphenated in their original language, then they are not hyphenated in English.




ANSWER 2

Score 2


"ad-hoc" is wrong; "ad hoc" is correct. The book Grammatically Correct (2nd edition) by Anne Stilman mentions this as a commonly mis-hyphenated compound, along with the following (correct usages):

  • more or less
  • ongoing
  • under way
  • a priori
  • bona fide
  • post hoc
  • vice versa

The same book provides further guidance on hyphenation, a good reference.