Hold the Hyphen: Daydreaming

Ethan writes:

Hi Snarky. It's the end of the first quarter and I need to bump up my English grade. My teacher says he'll give extra credit for finding examples of grammar and punctuation errors in magazines and newspapers. I think the hyphen in this headline is a mistake. Yes?
 

Yes, Ethan. Go ahead and hand it in.

Where does this ad go wrong? It puts an unnecessary hyphen in 'daydreaming', which is a compound word.

Quick rule:

• Compound words combine two or more words but function as a single unit. While some compounds are not hyphenated (e.g., daydream, flowerpot, keyboard), others are (e.g., merry-go-round, mother-in-law).

Correction:

• Daydreaming About Ski Season?

Hyphen Nation: Third-Debate Moderator vs. Third Debate Moderator

A third-debate moderator is not the same as a third debate moderator.

Quick rules:

• Use a hyphen between two words that work together to describe a noun, when the compound adjective comes directly before the noun. Maria shared her blue-ribbon recipe.
• Don't use a hyphen when the two words come after the noun. Marie shared the recipe that won a blue ribbon.
• Don't use a hyphen when the first word in a compound modifier is an adverb that ends in '-ly.' Sam bought the highly recommended book.

Hyphen Nation: Top-Selling DVD vs. Top Selling DVD

A top-selling DVD is not the same as a top selling DVD.

Quick rules:

• Use a hyphen between two words that work together to describe a noun, when the compound adjective comes directly before the noun. Tom wore his brand-new shirt.
• Don't use a hyphen when the two words come after the noun. Tom wore a shirt that was brand new.
• Don't use a hyphen when the first word in a compound modifier is an adverb that ends in '-ly.' She decided not to buy the poorly restored painting.

Hyphens: Beware the Mother of All Plurals

Rasha says:

I am doing research for a school project about family life in Asia, and I came across this headline in The Indian Express:

Mother in laws behind Indian divorces in Malaysia

I know there's a mistake in there somewhere, but I can't put my finger on it.

There are actually two mistakes in that headline: (1) Mother-in-law should always be hyphenated, and (2) the plural is mothers-in-law.

Quick rule:

• To pluralize hyphenated compound nouns, add 's' or 'es' to the base noun. The playoff game was between the two runners-up. The President met with his chiefs-of-staff. The courthouse was filled with attorneys-at-law. 
• If there is no base noun, pluralize the last word. The agents acted as go-betweens during the war.

Correction: Mothers-in-law behind Indian divorces in Malaysia

Hyphens: Not-so-Smart Water

Kelsey writes:

Dear Snarky,
I was leafing through this month's Vanity Fair, and I saw this ad with Jennifer Aniston for Smart Water. I remember an earlier post about hyphens, so I think there should be a hyphen between 'pure' and 'tasting.' Am I right?

Kelsey, my heart is positively swelling with pride. You've made my day! The type in the photo is too small to read, so here is the passage that appears under the headline:

for me, it always comes back to the basics: jeans, t-shirt...and crisp, pure tasting water. (some things never go out of style.)

Nothing goes out of style except, apparently, capitalization. But we'll let that go because we can chalk it up to a stylistic thing.

Where does Smart Water go wrong? It fails to hyphenate a compound adjective.

• Pure tasting water is pristine water that is intended for tasting. Let's have a glass of the tasting water, as opposed to the waste water.
• Pure-tasting water is water that tastes pure.

Quick rules:

• Use a hyphen between two words that work together to describe a noun, when the compound adjective comes directly before the noun. Tom wore his brand-new shirt.
• Don't use a hyphen when the two words come after the noun. Tom wore a shirt that was brand new.
• Don't use a hyphen when the first word in a compound modifier is an adverb that ends in '-ly.' She decided not to buy the poorly restored painting.

Correction: for me, it always comes back to the basics: jeans, t-shirt...and crisp, pure-tasting water. (some things never go out of style.)

Hyphens: Saying No to Aging or Makeup?

Janet sent in this photo and says:

I think the name of this product needs a hyphen. What do you think?

Way to know your grammar rules, Janet! Not only is there a hyphen missing, but the omission changes the intended meaning.

Where does Revlon go wrong? It fails to hyphenate a compound adjective.

• An age defying makeup is a life stage that opposes makeup. Pre-teens just say 'no' to makeup! No makeup for us, say 10-year-olds!
• Age-defying makeup is makeup that defies age.

Quick rules:

• Use a hyphen between two words that work together to describe a noun, when the compound adjective comes directly before the noun. He thought the brown-eyed girl was pretty.
• Don't use a hyphen when the two words come after the noun. He loved a girl who was brown eyed.
• Don't use a hyphen when the first word in a compound modifier is an adverb that ends in '-ly.' The market sold locally grown corn.

Try this: To know whether two words form a compound adjective, try imagining the word 'and' between them. If the sentence makes sense, it is not a compound adjective and you probably need a comma instead of a hyphen. J.K. Rowlings is a popular (and) successful writer. J.K. Rowlings is a popular, successful writer.

Correction: Revlon Age-Defying Makeup 

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Epilogue: Oh, joy! Estée Lauder cosmetics claim to defy age, too. Grace sent in this photo of an ad that correctly hyphenates 'age-defying.'