When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?How to analyze the phrase “having to deal with...
What does it mean to make a bootable LiveUSB?
Ban on all campaign finance?
How could a female member of a species produce eggs unto death?
How to simplify this time periods definition interface?
Why does Deadpool say "You're welcome, Canada," after shooting Ryan Reynolds in the end credits?
An Accountant Seeks the Help of a Mathematician
Does this AnyDice function accurately calculate the number of ogres you make unconcious with three 4th-level castings of Sleep?
Can anyone tell me why this program fails?
Is it possible that AIC = BIC?
How to deal with a cynical class?
Why doesn't the EU now just force the UK to choose between referendum and no-deal?
Co-worker team leader wants to inject his friend's awful software into our development. What should I say to our common boss?
Why is "das Weib" grammatically neuter?
Russian cases: A few examples, I'm really confused
Schematic conventions for different supply rails
Why do Australian milk farmers need to protest supermarkets' milk price?
Why do passenger jet manufacturers design their planes with stall prevention systems?
PTIJ: Who should pay for Uber rides: the child or the parent?
Is a lawful good "antagonist" effective?
Be in awe of my brilliance!
I need to drive a 7/16" nut but am unsure how to use the socket I bought for my screwdriver
Does splitting a potentially monolithic application into several smaller ones help prevent bugs?
Why are there 40 737 Max planes in flight when they have been grounded as not airworthy?
How to write cleanly even if my character uses expletive language?
When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
How to analyze the phrase “having to deal with other man” in context grammatically?Is There A Hyphen Limit When Hyphenating Words?Is it possible to add the in front of adjective for this case?Complex sentencePresent Perfect + Complex objectComplex sentence using havingDoes “half [something]” need a hyphen?many more complex problems vs. much more complex problemsWhen to add s to a nounWhen do we use more with adjective?
When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
Here's are a few examples:
This is an Xbox-compatible game.
This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.
This is a SkyRe-compatible Skyrim mod.
More often than not all these examples are used without a hyphen or hyphens. Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
hyphens
add a comment |
When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
Here's are a few examples:
This is an Xbox-compatible game.
This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.
This is a SkyRe-compatible Skyrim mod.
More often than not all these examples are used without a hyphen or hyphens. Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
hyphens
add a comment |
When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
Here's are a few examples:
This is an Xbox-compatible game.
This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.
This is a SkyRe-compatible Skyrim mod.
More often than not all these examples are used without a hyphen or hyphens. Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
hyphens
When do we add an hyphen (-) to a complex adjective word?
Here's are a few examples:
This is an Xbox-compatible game.
This is a Creation-Kit-compatible 3d asset.
This is a SkyRe-compatible Skyrim mod.
More often than not all these examples are used without a hyphen or hyphens. Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
hyphens
hyphens
edited 9 mins ago
Jasper
18.3k43670
18.3k43670
asked 1 hour ago
repomonsterrepomonster
1,005116
1,005116
add a comment |
add a comment |
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
This is not a question of grammar, but of style. Writers use hyphens with compound adjectives to avoid ambiguity so that the reader does not have to read and re-read a sentence to garner the meaning from it.
Consider:
John was a white bearded man.
Someone might try to parse this sentence at first to mean he was a white man who had a beard.
John was a white-bearded man.
This makes it quite clear that John was a man with a white beard, not a white man with a beard.
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
add a comment |
Robusto's answer is correct, I'm just adding another thought.
You asked:
Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
Robusto didn't quite address that question head on. While there is a lot of flexibility in punctuation, I would say any professional editor worth his or her salt would correct 'white bearded' to 'white-bearded'. Leaving out the hyphen is not optional.
Yes, in informal contexts, writers very often leave out the hyphens, either because they are unsure how to use them, or they forget. But that's not the same as saying they are optional. They are making a mistake which can lead to misunderstandings, and knowing how and why to use hyphens in compound adjectives places you at an advantage.
Finally, often with punctuation, we say "well, it doesn't exist in spoken English, so is it really required?"
But in spoken English there is an audible difference between
The white, bearded man.
and
The white-bearded man.
It's subtle, but it's there, and it makes all the difference to the interpretation of the sentence.
add a comment |
Your Answer
StackExchange.ready(function() {
var channelOptions = {
tags: "".split(" "),
id: "481"
};
initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);
StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
// Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
createEditor();
});
}
else {
createEditor();
}
});
function createEditor() {
StackExchange.prepareEditor({
heartbeatType: 'answer',
autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
convertImagesToLinks: false,
noModals: true,
showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
reputationToPostImages: null,
bindNavPrevention: true,
postfix: "",
imageUploader: {
brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
allowUrls: true
},
noCode: true, onDemand: true,
discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
});
}
});
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f200601%2fwhen-do-we-add-an-hyphen-to-a-complex-adjective-word%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
2 Answers
2
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
This is not a question of grammar, but of style. Writers use hyphens with compound adjectives to avoid ambiguity so that the reader does not have to read and re-read a sentence to garner the meaning from it.
Consider:
John was a white bearded man.
Someone might try to parse this sentence at first to mean he was a white man who had a beard.
John was a white-bearded man.
This makes it quite clear that John was a man with a white beard, not a white man with a beard.
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
add a comment |
This is not a question of grammar, but of style. Writers use hyphens with compound adjectives to avoid ambiguity so that the reader does not have to read and re-read a sentence to garner the meaning from it.
Consider:
John was a white bearded man.
Someone might try to parse this sentence at first to mean he was a white man who had a beard.
John was a white-bearded man.
This makes it quite clear that John was a man with a white beard, not a white man with a beard.
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
add a comment |
This is not a question of grammar, but of style. Writers use hyphens with compound adjectives to avoid ambiguity so that the reader does not have to read and re-read a sentence to garner the meaning from it.
Consider:
John was a white bearded man.
Someone might try to parse this sentence at first to mean he was a white man who had a beard.
John was a white-bearded man.
This makes it quite clear that John was a man with a white beard, not a white man with a beard.
This is not a question of grammar, but of style. Writers use hyphens with compound adjectives to avoid ambiguity so that the reader does not have to read and re-read a sentence to garner the meaning from it.
Consider:
John was a white bearded man.
Someone might try to parse this sentence at first to mean he was a white man who had a beard.
John was a white-bearded man.
This makes it quite clear that John was a man with a white beard, not a white man with a beard.
edited 1 hour ago
answered 1 hour ago
RobustoRobusto
11.9k22941
11.9k22941
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
add a comment |
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
1
1
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
So both can mean the same thing, but the other is more precise in its meaning?
– repomonster
1 hour ago
1
1
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
Yes. Consider hyphenating compound adjectives as providing a courtesy to your readers.
– Robusto
1 hour ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
"John was a white-bearded man" does not rule out the possibility that John was a white man with a white beard.
– Jasper
7 mins ago
add a comment |
Robusto's answer is correct, I'm just adding another thought.
You asked:
Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
Robusto didn't quite address that question head on. While there is a lot of flexibility in punctuation, I would say any professional editor worth his or her salt would correct 'white bearded' to 'white-bearded'. Leaving out the hyphen is not optional.
Yes, in informal contexts, writers very often leave out the hyphens, either because they are unsure how to use them, or they forget. But that's not the same as saying they are optional. They are making a mistake which can lead to misunderstandings, and knowing how and why to use hyphens in compound adjectives places you at an advantage.
Finally, often with punctuation, we say "well, it doesn't exist in spoken English, so is it really required?"
But in spoken English there is an audible difference between
The white, bearded man.
and
The white-bearded man.
It's subtle, but it's there, and it makes all the difference to the interpretation of the sentence.
add a comment |
Robusto's answer is correct, I'm just adding another thought.
You asked:
Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
Robusto didn't quite address that question head on. While there is a lot of flexibility in punctuation, I would say any professional editor worth his or her salt would correct 'white bearded' to 'white-bearded'. Leaving out the hyphen is not optional.
Yes, in informal contexts, writers very often leave out the hyphens, either because they are unsure how to use them, or they forget. But that's not the same as saying they are optional. They are making a mistake which can lead to misunderstandings, and knowing how and why to use hyphens in compound adjectives places you at an advantage.
Finally, often with punctuation, we say "well, it doesn't exist in spoken English, so is it really required?"
But in spoken English there is an audible difference between
The white, bearded man.
and
The white-bearded man.
It's subtle, but it's there, and it makes all the difference to the interpretation of the sentence.
add a comment |
Robusto's answer is correct, I'm just adding another thought.
You asked:
Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
Robusto didn't quite address that question head on. While there is a lot of flexibility in punctuation, I would say any professional editor worth his or her salt would correct 'white bearded' to 'white-bearded'. Leaving out the hyphen is not optional.
Yes, in informal contexts, writers very often leave out the hyphens, either because they are unsure how to use them, or they forget. But that's not the same as saying they are optional. They are making a mistake which can lead to misunderstandings, and knowing how and why to use hyphens in compound adjectives places you at an advantage.
Finally, often with punctuation, we say "well, it doesn't exist in spoken English, so is it really required?"
But in spoken English there is an audible difference between
The white, bearded man.
and
The white-bearded man.
It's subtle, but it's there, and it makes all the difference to the interpretation of the sentence.
Robusto's answer is correct, I'm just adding another thought.
You asked:
Is this a case of people making a grammatical mistake or are both forms completely correct and it's just a matter of preference?
Robusto didn't quite address that question head on. While there is a lot of flexibility in punctuation, I would say any professional editor worth his or her salt would correct 'white bearded' to 'white-bearded'. Leaving out the hyphen is not optional.
Yes, in informal contexts, writers very often leave out the hyphens, either because they are unsure how to use them, or they forget. But that's not the same as saying they are optional. They are making a mistake which can lead to misunderstandings, and knowing how and why to use hyphens in compound adjectives places you at an advantage.
Finally, often with punctuation, we say "well, it doesn't exist in spoken English, so is it really required?"
But in spoken English there is an audible difference between
The white, bearded man.
and
The white-bearded man.
It's subtle, but it's there, and it makes all the difference to the interpretation of the sentence.
answered 42 mins ago
fred2fred2
2,867718
2,867718
add a comment |
add a comment |
Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language Learners Stack Exchange!
- Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!
But avoid …
- Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.
- Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.
To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
StackExchange.ready(
function () {
StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fell.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f200601%2fwhen-do-we-add-an-hyphen-to-a-complex-adjective-word%23new-answer', 'question_page');
}
);
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Sign up or log in
StackExchange.ready(function () {
StackExchange.helpers.onClickDraftSave('#login-link');
});
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Sign up using Google
Sign up using Facebook
Sign up using Email and Password
Post as a guest
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown
Required, but never shown