Doctor's notes

The aim of any work we do with punctuation is clarity. For example, we place a comma or a hyphen at a certain point in a sentence not because the rules say so, but to make that sentence absolutely clear. The AP (Associated Press) Stylebook gives the following examples to illustrate the importance of hyphenating (or not hyphenating):

• The story is a re-creation (creating something again)
• The park is for recreation (leisure).

and

small-business owner, better-qualified candidate, little-known song, French-speaking people, free-thinking philosophy, loose-knit group. (Think of the different possible meanings or confusion if the hyphen is removed in each of those examples.)

If you’d…