Proper grammer: use of hyphens

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Anonymous  #355144  Tue, 24 Apr 07 09:03 PM
Is it community-at-large?  Or community at large.   Hyphens or no?  I know in the ENGLISH language it is hyphenated but not sure what the modern usage is in America.
  
Clive  #355173  Tue, 24 Apr 07 10:17 PM

Hi,

Is it community-at-large?  Or community at large.   Hyphens or no?  I know in the ENGLISH language it is hyphenated but not sure what the modern usage is in America.

No, don't use hyphens. It's not an adjectival phrase, unless you want to say something odd like This is a community-at-large issue. Just say something like This issue involves the community at large, where 'community' is a noun/object and 'at large' describes it.

I would expect this to be the usage in both BrE and AmE.

Best wishes, Clive

  
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