Hyphen

Question

(Source: Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English 1)What is the meaning of hyphenated words?What is the function of the first hyphenated word?Thank you!!!

Clive · Accepted Answer

Thanks to the efforts of too many people to mention, the premiere went according to plan.

This is standard English. The phrase too many people to mention is very commonly used. For example, it is said a lot at the annual Academy Awards ceremony, when the movie refer to all the technical people who helped them make their latest movie.

If spoken instead of written, it would just be said at normal speed.

Thanks to the efforts of too-many- people-to-mention, the premiere went according to plan.

This is not standard English. The writer has added the hyphen to show that he knows this is a trite and hackneyed phrase to use.

If spoken instead of written, it would be said a bit faster, as if it were all one word. The result is a little humorous. It sounds as if the speaker is saying " I know this is a trite thing to say, so I'll just say it fast". It's a little bit of irony.

Thanks for your what- does-this-meanquestion.

Clive

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