Breaking Up Words at the End of a Line

... by using a hyphen. Like this for in-
stance.

"Instance" is easy.
But then you get to others which aren't, like "acquired."
You can rely on a dictionary to get the syllable break down.
But I was wondering if there are some rules regarding hyphenation,
to make the process more manageable, instead of a guessing game,
which it is for me.

The dictionary is a bit confusing too.
Take the word "objectionable."
In my dictionary it is spelled out like this: ob-jec'tion-a-ble.
(The dashes are actually dots.)
So how would this translate into syllables if you wanted to hyphenate it?

Could you do any of these, or just some?

ob-
jectionable

objec-
tionable

objection-
able

objectiona-
ble

and/or
object-
ionable
Even though this isn't listed it'd seem possible.

And lastly, do you have to break up words on the syllable,
or is there no set rule about that?

Thanks.
This is something I was never taught.
Some general guide rules would be great!

mirandashell said:

Why would you want to do that?

Click to expand...

... to save space.
By hyphenating words at the end of lines,
I can reduce 25 lines of text to 22 or thereabouts,
to make room for something else.
I'm helping to put together a newsletter for an organization by me.
So knowing how to correctly hyphenate would be a help.
It's only 8 pages. So space is tight.

Good question.

slhuang said:

Cover Design here on AW

Click to expand...

Will check that forum out. Never have as yet. Thnx.

Chase said:

I edit and publish local shooting newsletters--one in two columns and another in three. You're right, space is at a premium.

I use a Merriam-Webster dictionary and hyphenate at the dots dividing syllables as you supposed. I try for visual esthetics, but usually I end up using as much of the word as I can before breaking it in two.

Click to expand...

... thnx. That's helpful.
How about the single quotation marks?
Do they signify syllable breaks?

ob-jec'tion-a-ble

I'd suppose with a word like this that it could be broken up like this:

object-
ionable

or
objec-
tionable

Still am unclear about that.

Torgo said:

If setting ragged right, prefer leaving space at the end of a line over hyphenating - shift words over or after the line break instead. Only ever hyphenate between consonants. Don't hyphenate in such a way that you leave only a couple of letters on either line (three is probably a minimum.) Don't hyphenate on two consecutive lines.

Most ebook readers will auto-hyphenate for you - you write in continuous paragraphs and let the EPUB rendering do the typesetting for you. If setting for print, most layout programs can do the hyphenation automatically, which you can then tweak.

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... thnx. Those guidelines make sense.
So something like, I encounter-
ed, shouldn't be done for instance.

Interesting about the auto-hyphenate software.
Useful tool.

Chase said:

In my dictionary, a mark such as the one you describe is in the punctuation guide, showing which syllable to stress.

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... thnx. Got it now.
ob-jec'tion-a-ble
jec is stressed,
and is a syllable itself.
The apostrophe serves the same purpose as a dot/dash.
But also indicates emphasis.

Chase said:

I'm sure it does in your dictionary. Mirriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary separates syllablification and pronunciation. It's probably no better or worse than yours--merely what the English department at the local college uses:

Main Entry: di-a-crit-i-cal
Pronunciation: ,di ə 'kri ti kəl

The lower mark (like a comma) is for lesser stress; the upper mark (like an apostrophe) is for the strongest stress.

Click to expand...

... your dictionary has more info than my Scribner Bantam,
which is otherwise really excellent.

di'a-crit'i-cal
It gives the pronunciation for diacritic:
di ekrit'ik (backwards e and a wavy line over the i.

I wonder if I can get a book on all this. Bet so.
That'd be really helpful, and interesting.