by Mignon Fogarty
Chuck B. asked whether he needs a hyphen in the phrase "the previously-explained goal." It's a good question because hyphens are tricky.
You use a hyphen to create a compound adjective before a noun:
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Blue-streaked cheese
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Water-soaked man
You don't use a hyphen, though, when one of the two modifiers before the noun is an adverb that ends in "-ly."
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The previously explained goal
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Happily soaked man
Read more about hyphens here.
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