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Victo Posted 13 years ago
Grammar
Full Versions Written Out
Which is preferred in each set below, #1 or #2?
Set 1
1. The baby weighed eight pounds five ounces.
2. The baby weighed eight pounds, five ounces.
Set 2
1. an eight-pound-five-ounce baby
2. an eight-pound, five-ounce baby
Set 3
1. Joe is six feet four inches tall.
2. Joe is six feet, four inches tall.
Set 4
1. a six-foot-four-inch man
2. a six-foot, four-inch man
Thank you.
Set 1
1. The baby weighed eight pounds five ounces.
2. The baby weighed eight pounds, five ounces.
Set 2
1. an eight-pound-five-ounce baby
2. an eight-pound, five-ounce baby
Set 3
1. Joe is six feet four inches tall.
2. Joe is six feet, four inches tall.
Set 4
1. a six-foot-four-inch man
2. a six-foot, four-inch man
Thank you.
Top answer
I prefer #1 in every example below, do you?
- I prefer #1 in every example below, do you?
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12 Answers
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C’mon. Don't be shy with this one. ;-)
My assessment here is that a comma should never separate units (i.e. pounds from ounces, feet from inches) within a single measurement.
#1, then, okay in all?
The Chicago Manual of Style doesn't address these.
My assessment here is that a comma should never separate units (i.e. pounds from ounces, feet from inches) within a single measurement.
#1, then, okay in all?
The Chicago Manual of Style doesn't address these.
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I did a Bing search to see if there was an authoritative source to answer this and found that you asked this question on this forum back in June 2010. You are now the authoritative source, I guess.
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Thanks, Blue Jay. Albeit an issue of style, Painless Grammar used these examples:
Her baby is a beautiful seven-pound, ten-ounce boy.
Or:
Her baby is a beautiful 7-pound, 10-ounce boy.
What does everybody think of eliminating the comma? Instead of a seven-pound, ten-ounce boy, how about a seven-pound ten-ounce boy
Her baby is a beautiful seven-pound, ten-ounce boy.
Or:
Her baby is a beautiful 7-pound, 10-ounce boy.
What does everybody think of eliminating the comma? Instead of a seven-pound, ten-ounce boy, how about a seven-pound ten-ounce boy
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Aspara Gus,
Do you personally support a 7-pound 10-ounce boy and a 5-foot 10-inch man (minus the commas and three hyphens)? Or would you opt for three ugly hyphens, as in a 7-pound-10-ounce boy and a 5-foot-10-inch man?
Do you personally support a 7-pound 10-ounce boy and a 5-foot 10-inch man (minus the commas and three hyphens)? Or would you opt for three ugly hyphens, as in a 7-pound-10-ounce boy and a 5-foot-10-inch man?
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Really interested in your spin on this one. The Chicago Manual of Style uses 5 feet 4 inches (no commas) as an example, but that's all they proffer. That said, based on logic, I'd say that the adjectival variants would be punctuated thusly:
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a 7-pound 10-ounce baby
OR: a 7-pound-10-ounce baby
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a 7-pound 10-ounce baby
OR: a 7-pound-10-ounce baby
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