#!/usr/bin/perl -l # http://perlmonks.org/?node_id=1166843 use strict; use warnings; my $z = 'Web-developer, perl-program, explicit-element, function-call, 2-x speed.'; print $z; $z =~ s/\b (?!(?:web|2)-) (\w+)- (?!(?:program|call)\b) (\w+)\b /$2 $1/gix; print $z;