Question

which of the following sentences uses a hyphen correctly?
a i was about to speak when - to no ones sur-prise - i fumbled over my words and embar-rassed myself in front of the crowd.
b i was in-shock-and-awe-over how skillfully the rookie basketball player made that basket.
c my two-year-old nephews favorite activities are blowing bubbles, eating cookies, and tak-ing walks.
d leonardo - at only seven years old - is ready to enter the local math competition.

Explanation:

• Option A: Hyphens are misused here; em dashes (or en dashes) are more appropriate for interrupting clauses, not hyphens.
• Option B: Hyphens are incorrectly used to connect words in a phrase that doesn't require hyphenation in this way. "In shock and awe" is a phrase that should not have hyphens between its parts.
• Option C: "Two - year - old" is a correctly hyphenated compound adjective used to describe "nephew", and the hyphenation follows the rule for compound adjectives (when a number and a noun are used together as an adjective before a noun).
• Option D: Similar to Option A, em dashes (or en dashes) should be used for the parenthetical clause "at only seven years old", not hyphens.

Answer:

C. My two - year - old nephew's favorite activities are blowing bubbles, eating cookies, and taking walks.