I don't claim to be a genius when it comes to grammar. But I do know a few things. A couple months ago, I was at a choir rehearsal and there was a grammatical error in the text. I pointed it out to the director, the error was agreed upon by only one other person, no one else could argue that I was wrong, we all corrected the text and continued singing. Later on, a couple of young women who were sitting in front of me turned around and said, "Did you go to grammar school or something?" I snickered and nodded my head.
Thanks to a rigorous Business Communications class I took in college, I do know a thing or two about using hyphens. In fact; my boss, a very adroit writer, has been known to compliment my ability to accurately make corrections to even his letters. Part of the downfall of learning things is that you become painfully aware of others' mistakes. Some people manage to make a career out of doing just that.
That being said, I'm blogging about hyphens today. I just can't take it any longer. There are lots of rules about when to use a hyphen, but I want to focus on the use of (or lack of use of) hyphens for the purpose of creating a temporary compound. Stay with me, folks. When you have two words that both describe another word, you should probably be using a hyphen. So for example, if I'm talking about a well-known author, there are two words (well and known) that are both trying to describe the word author. It's as if the two words can magically be combined by the miracle of a hyphen. So in cases where I have two adverbs or adjectives immediately before the word they are describing, I should use a hyphen. This eliminates any confusion about the author being both well and known. For example, you could say...
- I enjoy doing work-related activities.
- I took the slow-moving train to Beijing.
- They enjoy their fast-paced careers.
Without a hyphen, I might wonder if the paced careers are fast. This is what drives me crazy.
However, if I know of an author who is well known, I don't need a hyphen because the two words are not modifying (or describing) the next word (author appears before the adjectives). Another exception is when the first adjective/adverb has 'ly' at the end. Don't use a hyphen after a word that ends in 'ly'. So you can say...
- The lovely little girl gave me a flower.
- I couldn't stop staring at the poorly dressed boy.
- I have never tasted a more magically delicious cereal!
For those of you who are more confused now about the proper use of hyphens, go Google the topic or ask an English major for further clarification. Please. For those of you who might be realizing that you are among one of the many negligent writers out there, you're welcome. Now go. And be a less-confusing writer.
10 comments:
I'm no expert either. But for some reason I love to read about grammar. Sometimes I listen to Grammar Girl during my weekly commute to San Diego: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com
Is it wrong that I'm not 100% sure if Jamie wrote this or if it was Andy. I'm like 80% Jamie 20% Andy. See, I can understand if it's Jamie. I'm a stickler for most spelling, especially the word "definitely" It ticks me off to see an "a" in there.
Anyway. Good to know about the hyphen. It's yer friend. ;)
I love that you know this Hyphen rule. I too, was blessed with a good English and communications teacher, and have have also edited a few research pamphlets. That said, I also love using short cuts like thru instead of through, etc.
Loveya!
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wow. that was intense. but i think i just learned something
Jamie most definitely was the author of this post. When I had Andy read it, he said something like, "It's ok, but people aren't going to care." So to those of you who have left a comment, thank you for caring! I'm glad that this post is doing some good.
Yay for Melanie for possibly learning something. ;-)
See, this is what makes me smile. I was just pondering the purpose of blogging this morning. Do we blog to inform, to instruct, to brag, or to vent? Do we blog for all of these reasons? I have friends whose blogs are instructional: "Here's a great tip: eat more soy!" I have friends whose blogs are year-round Christmas letters "My perfect kids did the most perfect thing again today!" (Not my fave.) I think the purpose of my blog changes with my moods, but I love posts that incorporate instruction and venting.
Yay!
I like to know what bloggers are thinking and how their days are REALLY going.
So, here's a follow-up hyphen question: What about that double hyphen thing that people do mid-sentence--instead of using commas or semi-colons? I assume it is overused/misused? When, if ever, is it okay to throw a double dash into your sentences?
I was not a wonderful student in grammar class (although my husband loves it as you can tell from his comment) so should I be worried about how horrible my blog must look?
It kind of makes me wish that I had gone through with the whole English major thing I had planned in High School.
MCOM 320 for life!
I took my MCOM 320 from Colleen Vaudry, one of Dad's former students. She was an unbelievably tough teacher, (I have it on good authority that she learned it from watching Dad) but I learned more in that class than just about any other class I had at The BY. You might say it was an intensely rigorous class. Or, it was an instruction-filled semester. As a result, I, too, am cursed with "grammar overcorrectivitis." But I have no qualms about making up my own words. :)
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