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HUBLOT Posted 11 years ago
Don't the "heavy" and the "duty" here need to be hyphenated?
Grammar
Heavy-duty
Don't the "heavy" and the "duty" here need to be hyphenated?
Top answer
HUBLOT Don't the "heavy" and the "duty" here need to be hyphenated? No, though it is certainly more common nowadays. COCA gives me 137 heavy duties and 1085 heavy-duties .
- HUBLOT Don't the "heavy" and the "duty" here need to be hyphenated?
- No, though it is certainly more common nowadays.
- COCA gives me 137 heavy duties and 1085 heavy-duties .
- In a few more decades, it may be a single word: heavyduty .
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2 Answers
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HUBLOTDon't the "heavy" and the "duty" here need to be hyphenated?No, though it is certainly more common nowadays. COCA gives me 137 heavy duties and 1085 heavy-duties. In a few more decades, it may be a single word: heavyduty.
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Adjectival usages are usually hyphenated when they occur before the nouns they modify:
"It was heavy-duty traffic that made her late getting home."
"It was heavy duty going home" has "heavy duty" as a nominative complement.
"It was heavy-duty traffic that made her late getting home."
"It was heavy duty going home" has "heavy duty" as a nominative complement.
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