[Yes](https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/soon-to-be) My non-grammar-Nazi understanding is that it indicates what the words modify. It's like parenthesis for grouping in a mathematical expression. It clarifies that *soon* and *to* modify *be*, rather than *wife*. > My mom found her little used kitchen mixer. > My mom found her little-used kitchen mixer. > > In the first sentence, it seems that the kitchen mixer may be “used,” small, and old, but with the correct hyphenation, you can see that the mixer is actually “little-used” or perhaps, almost brand new.