Dear Learn: They are not really compound words. True compound words are written without a hyphen. Examples are blackboard (black + board) and shipwreck (ship + wreck). The two words together may have a different meaning together than their

Hi, I wonder what I need to conceptualize better what is involved in the use of a hyphento denote one aggregate noun. possible instruction in a language game: Let's play a "wh" game with wh-words . At first, I think I can see why the

1. These are always a little uncomfortable for me. I think it's okay, but I'd probably repeat the "a," a spiritual and a literal interpretation , OR a spiritual vs. a literal interpretation , OR spiritual and literal

a combination of higher-ed administrations This is not a comparative: it's short for "higher education" When you have two words that modify a noun, you often (usually) hyphenate them. Higher-education administrators, full-time

Hi, Thank you so much. You asked/said: I think certain words like "am" or "so" are not hyphenated when used as part of a hyphenated noun or a hyphenated adjective. Why is that? I'm not sure what you mean. Can you

Hi, How would you justify the use of hyphens to denote what seems to be a noun? I wouldn't try to justify it. At best, it's extremely casual, and at worst it's just lazy and unstructured English. I think this string of words can

You've chosen words/phrases that are hypenated all the time. The "use the hypen before the noun but not after" rules works only if the two words wouldn't have a hyphen normally. She is a full-time student. She is going to school

Hi, How would you justify the use of hyphens to denote what seems to be a noun? I think this string of words can be thought as a big noun made of little parts. Could it be in quotations without hyphens and would it make a difference or no

Hi, I was looking online for some help on adjectives and came upon a help (tip) source called "Grammatically Correct." In it, in the section called "Using Hyphens in Compound Adjectives (and Exceptions to the Rule) by John Davis, he

Hi, When she was 16-years-old a 16-year-old is a noun. 16 years old (ie no hyphens) is an adjectival phrase she ran away (preposition) from home and moved to London, then ( adverb) New York to work as ( adverb ) a nurse. During ( preposition)