Explanation and Discussion
In American English
Compound Nouns
are sometimes hyphenated and sometimes not. No real rules exist but some
trends do. Below I have some of the major groups of words and their
generalities.
About, Around, and By
Words
Compound nouns ending in
"about, around"
and
"by"
are typically solid. For
Example:
|
knockabout
|
layabout
|
runabout
|
turnabout
|
runaround
|
turnaround
|
passersby
|
standby
|
Between, Through, and Together
Words
Compound nouns ending in
"between, through"
and
"together"
are hyphenated. For
example:
|
go-between
|
in-between
|
follow-through
|
run-through
|
walk-together
|
get-together
|
However with this exception
|