Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb?

Question

Which of these are acceptable? Is one preferable over the other?

"Chemically-deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle."
"Chemically deposited tourmaline is never periwinkle."

Also, is the title to the this question asking what I'm trying to ask?

(I realize that there are other questions about hyphenation in similar contexts; I'm asking specifically about -ly adverbs.)

Canis Lupus · Accepted Answer

If you want to be canonical, this might help. Whether the verb is p.p. or not is irrelevant for these authoritative sources:

In the Guardian and Observer style guide, they state:

Hyphens tend to clutter up text (particularly when the computer breaks already hyphenated words at the end of lines).
Do not use hyphens after adverbs ending in -ly, e.g. a hotly disputed penalty, a constantly evolving newspaper, genetically modified food, etc,...

The Chicago Manual of Style gives the same advice. (The rules for adverbs not ending with -ly may be of interest. too.) (By the way, this appears to be a pdf taken from CMS. The CMS site requires registration.)

The general rule about hyphens is that they are distracting and should only be used if they resolve an ambiguity or lack of clarity.

(I was going to place this answer here, but I think that is a duplicate of this one, as others have said.)

Pitarou · Answer

I have no idea what the sentence is talking about, so I'm in no position to comment on whether  a hyphen is appropriate or not, but I can tell you what the general rules are, and you can apply them.

So here are the golden rules of hyphenation:

If everybody uses a hyphen there, so should you.
If nobody uses a hyphen there, neither should you.
If some people use a hyphen there and, in your judgement, a hyphen would help the reader, use a hyphen.
If some people use a hyphen there but, in your judgement, a hyphen wouldn't help the reader, don't use a hyphen.

Not so hard, really.

Jason · Answer

No, do not use a hyphen. 'Chemically' is an adverb that describes the manner in which tourmaline is deposited. It modifies 'deposited', which in turn, modifies tourmaline. Typically, we use a hyphen after the adverb 'well' when the next word is a participle acting as an adjective. For example:

a well-written book, a well-versed scholar

If the sentence is working fine on its own, don't congest it with unnecessary punctuation as hypens, semi-colons, or commas.

As far as helping the reader, grammar rules exist to do just that. They keep sentences from running on endlessly, give readers a chance to breath between clauses and lists of nouns with a well-placed comma, and keep readers from confusing subjects in a sentence. We should know the grammar rules well and not violate them on a presumption of what our readers will like. Being too liberal in one's style can give some readers the impression that the writer is uneducated. So, try to avoid making decisions about punctuation on a whim. It is important to keep a standard of writing.

Aesthetically, I would argue that hyphens make writing less pleasing to the eye.

Also, hyphens can be used to interject an entire sentence into another when there is some background information that the reader needs to know.

'Last summer this girl, Janie, and I-she was one of those tomboyish types who would sock you in the face if you gave her any lip-decided to go hang out with this other buddy of mine down by the lake.'

Should I use a hyphen after -ly when modifying a verb in the past participle verb?

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