Hyphen With Prefixes Ex- (Meaning Former), Self-, All-

When the prefix ex- is used to mean former, it should be connected to the following noun with a hyphen.

Don’t sit Adam next to Martha! She’s his ex-wife!

Though he no longer held an official position, the ex-mayor still attended all the town’s functions.

Michael is an ex-basketball player who is now working with disadvantaged youth.

When the prefix ex- is used to mean out of, it doesn’t require a hyphen.

The pope excommunicated the Church of England in the early 1500’s.

When using Latin terminology, a hyphen isn’t necessary. In cases such as this, ex also means out of.

You can tell it’s Prof. MacKendrick’s book because it has the ex libris bookplate inside the front cover.

When using the reflexive prefix self-, it should be connected to the following word with a hyphen.

Lying on the floor beside the plant he had knocked over and chewed on, the cat looked extremely self-satisfied.

Do you want a self-serve or a full-serve gas station?

Make sure you don’t confuse the prefix self- with the noun self.

The self serves no other.

No hyphen is used in this sentence because self is used as a noun.

When using all as a prefix, it should be connected to the following word with a hyphen.

English is the all-encompassing subject: none of the other subjects could be taught without it.

It’s a bad leader who thinks of himself as all-powerful.