Compound Adjectives: The Cute-as-a-Bug's-Ear Hyphen
Okay. I know. I promised to entertain. And you're already yawning, thinking, "What's so entertaining about hyphenated compound adjectives?" Well, let me tell you. Look at a page of text and what do you notice? You notice hyphenated words. Their pretty. They are as cute as a bug's ear. Something about that little connection looks good on the page. I've always had a hankerin' for a good compound adjective, properly joined by a hyphen, describing a noun. I am a right-brain efficianado of the compound adjective.
I also go down to the forever-open Jack-in-the-Box to watch them make fries. And to the bakery to smell bread.
I use to go into a hyphen-induced stupor everytime I came to a noun with more than one adjective. Is this merely an enumeration of adjectives--the wise old writer--or are we looking at the opportunity to use that pretty, little hyphen? The wisdom-free writer.
So how do you know? There's a little-known rule: put an AND between the adjectives: If it makes sense, then you have enumerated adjectives describing the noun. But if it doesn't (little and known rule) then you need to hyphenate it.
The thousand pound wrecking ball slammed into my head and broke apart the wrecking ball. May I write, The thousand and pound wrecking ball...? I may not! So it has to be thousand-pound wrecking ball.
I bought a three story house and tried to find a pubisher, but no one wants to publish a house. May I write I bought a three and story house....? I may not! So it has to be three-story house.
Walter's double glazing is peeling, so he's calling a double glazing salesman. The first "double glazing" is merely an adjective (double) describing a noun (glazing). But in the second clause, "double glazing" becomes two adjectives describing a noun (salesman), so it has to be written double-glazing salesman. We may not write double AND glazing salesman, because it doesn't make sense.
This may not be a never-to-be-forgotten piece of writing, but I do hope it helps you sleep.
I also go down to the forever-open Jack-in-the-Box to watch them make fries. And to the bakery to smell bread.
I use to go into a hyphen-induced stupor everytime I came to a noun with more than one adjective. Is this merely an enumeration of adjectives--the wise old writer--or are we looking at the opportunity to use that pretty, little hyphen? The wisdom-free writer.
So how do you know? There's a little-known rule: put an AND between the adjectives: If it makes sense, then you have enumerated adjectives describing the noun. But if it doesn't (little and known rule) then you need to hyphenate it.
The thousand pound wrecking ball slammed into my head and broke apart the wrecking ball. May I write, The thousand and pound wrecking ball...? I may not! So it has to be thousand-pound wrecking ball.
I bought a three story house and tried to find a pubisher, but no one wants to publish a house. May I write I bought a three and story house....? I may not! So it has to be three-story house.
Walter's double glazing is peeling, so he's calling a double glazing salesman. The first "double glazing" is merely an adjective (double) describing a noun (glazing). But in the second clause, "double glazing" becomes two adjectives describing a noun (salesman), so it has to be written double-glazing salesman. We may not write double AND glazing salesman, because it doesn't make sense.
This may not be a never-to-be-forgotten piece of writing, but I do hope it helps you sleep.
Posted by Tom Eubanks at 1/19/2010 8:51 PM 
Categories: Writing Services
Tags: Punctuation and Grammar
Categories: Writing Services
Tags: Punctuation and Grammar
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