We all learned about nouns, verbs, and adjectives when we were in elementary school. The adjective describes the noun, of course. So, in the following sentence, the word “ancient” is the adjective:
Professor Hodes teaches ancient literature.
Now, if we substitute this adjective for a phrasal adjective, which is an adjective comprising more than one word, we keep that phrase together by using dashes:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth-century literature.
Without hyphenating the phrase, we risk relaying the wrong meaning. For example, consider the different meanings of these sentences:
Charlene qualifies as a mental health counselor.
Charlene qualifies as a mental-health counselor.
Using dashes to keep the phrasal adjective together ensures that we say what we mean to say.
What if Professor Hodes teaches fifteenth-century literature as well? Wouldn’t the following sound cumbersome and repetitive?:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth-century and fifteenth-century literature.
Yes, that’s a mouthful. It’s not wrong, but wordy. The common denominator (for all you “mathletes” out there) is the word “century.” So, here’s the proper way to use phrasal adjectives with common denominators:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth- and fifteenth-century literature.
That sounds so much better! (I knew my love of math would come in handy one day.) But please don’t link the first half of the phrasal adjective to “and”; “fourteenth-” belongs alone because the “century” part is implied. “And” is not part of the phrase.
The law, of course, abounds with exceptions to every rule, and grammar is no different: We don’t insert a dash in a phrasal adjective when the first word of the phrase ends in “ly.” That’s probably because the “ly” clues us into the phrasal nature of the adjective. Therefore, we would write this:
Dr. Rhodes is a psychologically sound physician.
My advice is to look for phrasal adjectives while proofreading. Add those needed dashes to clarify your message. Think of it as adding dashes of spice to your dish.
Professor Hodes teaches ancient literature.
Now, if we substitute this adjective for a phrasal adjective, which is an adjective comprising more than one word, we keep that phrase together by using dashes:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth-century literature.
Without hyphenating the phrase, we risk relaying the wrong meaning. For example, consider the different meanings of these sentences:
Charlene qualifies as a mental health counselor.
Charlene qualifies as a mental-health counselor.
Using dashes to keep the phrasal adjective together ensures that we say what we mean to say.
What if Professor Hodes teaches fifteenth-century literature as well? Wouldn’t the following sound cumbersome and repetitive?:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth-century and fifteenth-century literature.
Yes, that’s a mouthful. It’s not wrong, but wordy. The common denominator (for all you “mathletes” out there) is the word “century.” So, here’s the proper way to use phrasal adjectives with common denominators:
Professor Hodes teaches fourteenth- and fifteenth-century literature.
That sounds so much better! (I knew my love of math would come in handy one day.) But please don’t link the first half of the phrasal adjective to “and”; “fourteenth-” belongs alone because the “century” part is implied. “And” is not part of the phrase.
The law, of course, abounds with exceptions to every rule, and grammar is no different: We don’t insert a dash in a phrasal adjective when the first word of the phrase ends in “ly.” That’s probably because the “ly” clues us into the phrasal nature of the adjective. Therefore, we would write this:
Dr. Rhodes is a psychologically sound physician.
My advice is to look for phrasal adjectives while proofreading. Add those needed dashes to clarify your message. Think of it as adding dashes of spice to your dish.
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