Should there be a hyphen in expressions such as "currently-available X"?

Solution 1:

I've seen many manuscripts (and some published books) that contain compound modifiers joined by a hyphen even when the first word of the compound modifier is an adverb ending in -ly. As a matter of style, however, opinion is remarkably consistent in condemning the hyphenated form.

From The Oxford Guide to Style (2002), section 5.10.1 ("Compound words"):

Do not hyphenate adjectival compounds beginning with adverbs ending in -ly: [examples:] happily married couple, frequently made error, newly discovered compound, painfully obvious conclusion

From The Chicago Manual of Style, sixteenth edition (2010):

7.82 Adverbs ending in "ly." 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.)

From Bryan Garner, Garner's Modern American Usage, second edition (2003) in the entry for "Phrasal Adjectives":

B. Exception for -ly Adverbs. When a phrasal adjective begins with an adverb ending in -ly, the convention is to drop the hyphen—e.g., "With the hotly-contested {read hotly contested} Second Congressional District primary six days away, supporters of Sen. Bob Smith gathered last night just as curious about a race ywo years away and a candidate who hasn't said yet whether he's eunning." M.L. Elrick, "Kemp Coy on Plans for 1996," Concord Monitor, 8 Sept. 1994, at B1. But if the -ly adverb is part of a longer phrase, then the hyphen is mandatory (the not-so-hotly-contested race).

And from The Associated Press Stylebook (2002):

COMPOUND MODIFIERS: When a compound modifier — two or more words that express a single concept — precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound except the adverb very and all adverbs that end in -ly: [examples omitted].

...

The principle of using a hyphen to avoid confusion explains why no hyphen is required with very and -ly words. Readers can expect them to modify the word that follows.

All of these style guides emphasize that the nonhyphenation of adverbs as the first element in a compound modifier applies only to adverbs ending in -ly. So "quickly moving stream" would go hyphenless, but "fast-moving stream" would not. But "currently available," "currently implemented," etc. (which you ask about) fall squarely under the no-hyphen rule, regardless of whether the compound modifier precedes or follows the noun it modifies.