Aug 16, 2023 11:04
9 mos ago
36 viewers *
English term
Poland
"A bit of talcum is always walcum."
Native in: Polish 
Works in: English to Polish, Polish to English
hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in English
Non-PRO
English
Art/Literary
Linguistics
spelling
I know, I know, the Internet is plenty ofexplanations...
I'd like to ask you here however:
Are the hyphenated phrases kinds of alternations in English language?
Example:
three-year vs. three years
Does these two phrases mentioned above and other alike - always mean the same?
Thank you!
I'd like to ask you here however:
Are the hyphenated phrases kinds of alternations in English language?
Example:
three-year vs. three years
Does these two phrases mentioned above and other alike - always mean the same?
Thank you!
Responses
+5
5 mins
Selected
three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time
At least that's my understanding
Note from asker:
| Thank you! With a little support from TonyM, it has to be brilliant answer! :) |
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Tony M
: Totally agree! And hence they are NOT interhcnageable...
24 mins
|
| agree |
dandamesh
47 mins
|
| agree |
Clauwolf
1 hr
|
| agree |
Corine van Ewijk
1 day 35 mins
|
| agree |
Christopher Schröder
8 days
|
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much, again!"
+1
1 day 2 hrs
Vanessa Johnson
Spain
Spain
Native in English
&
English
Spain
Art, culture, marketing, tourism
Native in: English (Variants: US, UK) 
Works in: Spanish to English, English
use hyphen in compound adjectives before the noun
Generally speaking, hyphens should be used in compound adjectives placed before the noun they describe, while the same two words coming after the noun do not need a hyphen.
For example:
She has a three-year contract.
Her contract is valid for three years.
She has a three-year-old brother.
Her brother is three years old.
These sentences have the same meaning.
As some people have noted, it may be that hyphen usage is becoming less common. It is also true that new words may use hyphens when they are first introduced into the language, then over time the hyphen may be left out.
For example,
e-mail used to be the common spelling when the term was first introduced, but now it is more common to see email without the hyphen.
If you are not sure whether a word needs a hyphen, I would recommend consulting a dictionary (for example, Merriam Webster for US English and Collins or Cambridge for UK English). You will find that different dictionaries may recommend different spellings. So, sometimes there is not one correct answer, but if you use a dictionary, you can explain/defend your choice if a client asks.
For example:
She has a three-year contract.
Her contract is valid for three years.
She has a three-year-old brother.
Her brother is three years old.
These sentences have the same meaning.
As some people have noted, it may be that hyphen usage is becoming less common. It is also true that new words may use hyphens when they are first introduced into the language, then over time the hyphen may be left out.
For example,
e-mail used to be the common spelling when the term was first introduced, but now it is more common to see email without the hyphen.
If you are not sure whether a word needs a hyphen, I would recommend consulting a dictionary (for example, Merriam Webster for US English and Collins or Cambridge for UK English). You will find that different dictionaries may recommend different spellings. So, sometimes there is not one correct answer, but if you use a dictionary, you can explain/defend your choice if a client asks.
Note from asker:
| Thank you very much for your precious contribution and advices towards correctness of using the phrase! |
| Again, very useful explanation from you! I am very impressed over your efforts to convey the usefull knowledge! |
Discussion
- bird/s eating spider
I am familiar already with the rule that the hyphenated construction remains in the singular.
However, regarding birdeater spiders, I think the phrase "bird-eating spider" may sound unbelievable to the non-fluently-English-speaking community and is logically suspected since these spiders can eat more than one bird in their lifetime.
Sometimes they're rightly giving way to single words (eg eye-catching -> eyecatching), but sometimes they're omitted through ignorance, and create ambiguity (eg 'bird eating spider').
Thank you very much!
As W/A says, your 2 examples are different parts of speech, and as such, cannot be interchangeable. Compare "a 5-foot pole" (adjective) and "a pole of 5 feet' (noun)