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Debpriya De Posted 16 years ago
Grammar
Hyphenated phrases
What is the purpose of using hyphens in sentences like
"I don't like his neither-here-nor-there attitude"
"Stop being a stick-in-the-mud"
"Stop your I-am-the-best rant."
"I don't like his neither-here-nor-there attitude"
"Stop being a stick-in-the-mud"
"Stop your I-am-the-best rant."
Top answer
The purpose is to make an adjective out of a phrase so that it can be understood and used as an adjective in a sentence. You will find some common hypenated phrases in the dictionary. He's a ne'er-do-well.
- The purpose is to make an adjective out of a phrase so that it can be understood and used as an adjective in a sentence.
- You will find some common hypenated phrases in the dictionary.
- He's a ne'er-do-well.
- This has-been actor crashed the party.
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2 Answers
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The purpose is to make an adjective out of a phrase so that it can be understood and used as an adjective in a sentence. You will find some common hypenated phrases in the dictionary.
He's a ne'er-do-well.
This has-been actor crashed the party.
He's a ne'er-do-well.
This has-been actor crashed the party.
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We use those to indicate that the phrase should be treated as a single entity.
He has a holier than thou attitude is really quite different from holier-than-thou, even though you can't "hear" the hyphens.
He has a holier than thou attitude is really quite different from holier-than-thou, even though you can't "hear" the hyphens.
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