In AmE, we tend to close up prefixes like co-, re-, pre-, post-, etc. unless the first letter of the main word is the same vowel as the last letter of the prefix. But I see some exceptions like preemtive that defy the rule (I should convince myself that the vowel e is an exception). While I understand why we use a hyphen for re-sign to differentiate it from resign, I don’t understand the logic behind co-pay. Is there any material of authority that helps a non-native speaker like me to understand which are the words that should be closed up (say, whether co-utilize should be closed up)?
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