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chemically treated nanostructured powder Should I hyphenate chemically-treated? I really don't know cause I googled it and couldn't find it hyphenated. I think that according to the rules it should be, but I am not a native speaker and maybe I am missing something.

Dani Otheguy
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    Does this answer your question? hyphenation of compound adjectives '

    From The Chicago Manual of Style (17th ed), 7.86:

    Compounds formed by an adverb ending in ly plus an adjective or participle (such as largely irrelevant or smartly dressed) are not hyphenated either before or after a noun, since ambiguity is virtually impossible. (The ly ending with adverbs signals to the reader that the next word will be another modifier, not a noun.)' (@Jason Bassford)

     – Edwin Ashworth Jun 06 '20 at 15:53
  • Perfectly!! Thank you. – Dani Otheguy Jun 06 '20 at 16:08
  • @EdwinAshworth Good comment. Would it be bad form to hyphenate anyway? – Richard Kayser Jun 06 '20 at 16:37
  • @EdwinAshworth, do you know where to download the manual - without having to pay for the subscription -? Thank you in advance. – Dani Otheguy Jun 06 '20 at 16:40
  • @Richard Kayser I should think most readers would be wondering more about what exactly 'nanostructured' meant at some level. But every guide I've read says 'only hvphenate ADVly[-]ADJ premodifiers if there is the remotest chance of confusion otherwise'. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 06 '20 at 16:43
  • ... No, sorry. You can find a lot of it on ELU, but that requires some searching. You sound like you're writing a thesis or the like; educational institutions (and even departments) usually have their own style guides. And these may conflict with CMOS recommendations at times. I certainly don't follow CMOS recommendations religiously (but I can find recommenders I prefer when I rebel). – Edwin Ashworth Jun 06 '20 at 16:45
  • @EdwinAshworth I have no issue with nanostructured. :-) I understand the style-manual guidance, but I have a tendency to want to hyphenate anyway. I don't see how it does any harm. In fact, I think it often makes text more readable. It removes the burden on the reader to figure out how the various modifiers of connected. I find the hyphenated version more readable: chemically-treated nanostructured powder. Perhaps this is because chemically treated is coming before the adjective nanostructured? – Richard Kayser Jun 06 '20 at 16:59

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