ClearTips: Edit yourself

Open, solid, and hyphenated terms: Prefixes

Consult a dictionary to find out the accepted spelling of compound nouns, whether open (field worker), solid (fieldworker), or hyphenated (field-worker). Hyphenate compound adjectives (long-term gains), unless they are recognizable as paired adjectives that usually modify the noun they are in front of (current account deficit). Run prefixes solid (without a hyphen), unless such curiosities as crosssectional are the result, or unless the prefix is attached to a compound word (non-oil-exporting) or a capitalized word (non-British).

antismoking on one page and anti-smoking on the next
CHANGE TO
antismoking on one page and antismoking on the next
nonviolent on one page and non-violent on the next
CHANGE TO
nonviolent on one page and nonviolent on the next

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