hyphens: pre-, post-

In most instances, a hyphen is not needed to connect the prefixes pre- and post- to words.

  • Samantha and Rick attended prenatal classes before the birth of their first child.
  • Enrolling in postsecondary education can lead to a brighter future.

However, a hyphen is used in the following cases:

  • when the root word starts with a capital:
    • The museum has many trilobites in its Pre-Cambrian fossil collection.
    • Is this an example of pre- or post-World War II architecture?
  • when the root word begins with the same letter as the last letter in the prefix:
    • Dr. Keon is a pre-eminent heart surgeon.
    • Some veterans experience post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • when you add post or pre to a compound:
    • Pre-nineteenth-century art focussed mainly on religious themes.
    • Applicants taking part in the literacy test were given pre‑high school texts to read.
  • when you connect pre or post to numbers:
    • Current fashions mimic pre-1980s styles.
    • The exhibit focussed on the artist’s post-1920s drawings and lithographs.

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© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

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