You’ll need to use a hyphen when a two-or three-word (or more) adjective combination comes before a noun:
A three-week vacation
A family-owned business
An out-of-the-blue surprise
If you fail to use a hyphen in some sentences, you might end up writing, “Forty odd people attended the meeting.” It may be that all 40 were weirdos, but when you add a hyphen you show that approximately 40 attendees were there (although some of them may have been nuts). You’re just not certain of the actual body count in attendance.
However, if an adverb combination comes before a noun, do not use a hyphen:
A hastily gathered petition
The lazily flowing river
Remember, not all adverbs end in -ly. The daily newspaper shows an example of an adjective that ends in -ly.
Family and homily are two -ly words that are nouns.
WordThoughts 