0
Andrei Posted 22 years ago
Grammar
Hyphenation
The school which caught fire in southern India's Tamil Nadu state on Friday was a curious three-storey building, part concrete and part thatched with highly inflammable coconut leaves.
The crowded 900-student private school was also sandwiched between two residential houses on a congested street.
It had a single entrance and a narrow stairway.
No wonder then that when the classroom on the thatched top floor caught fire, over 90 primary students were burnt alive without any hope of escaping from the inferno.
One expert says that private schools should shoulder much of the blame as they open an English medium section to cash in on the craze for English language education in India, charge steep fees and give very little back in terms of facilities to the students.
In many districts of Tamil Nadu, such English medium schools which are affiliated to state syllabus guidelines, are fly-by-night operations.
A burned-out classroom after a school fire in Kumbakonam, India
They open up small schools in rented buildings and the authorities and teachers vanish after collecting the annual fees.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My question is on hyphenations of the above.
1. .......was a curious three-storey building, part concrete and part thatched with.......
2. The crowded 900-student private school was also sandwiched between two .........
3. .......... state syllabus guidelines, are fly-by-night operations.
In the first sentence the word 'building' is a noun, and the word 'three story' is an adjective. As there is no word called threestory in the English dictionary, it is imperative to hyphenate to show it as a single word which modifies the noun.
In the second sentence the word 'private' is a noun. The same argument goes for the hyphenation of the word '900-student'.
3. I cannot figure out why on earth you have to write 'fly-by-night operations. Could you help me?
I want to read your comments on all the three sentences.
The crowded 900-student private school was also sandwiched between two residential houses on a congested street.
It had a single entrance and a narrow stairway.
No wonder then that when the classroom on the thatched top floor caught fire, over 90 primary students were burnt alive without any hope of escaping from the inferno.
One expert says that private schools should shoulder much of the blame as they open an English medium section to cash in on the craze for English language education in India, charge steep fees and give very little back in terms of facilities to the students.
In many districts of Tamil Nadu, such English medium schools which are affiliated to state syllabus guidelines, are fly-by-night operations.
A burned-out classroom after a school fire in Kumbakonam, India
They open up small schools in rented buildings and the authorities and teachers vanish after collecting the annual fees.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My question is on hyphenations of the above.
1. .......was a curious three-storey building, part concrete and part thatched with.......
2. The crowded 900-student private school was also sandwiched between two .........
3. .......... state syllabus guidelines, are fly-by-night operations.
In the first sentence the word 'building' is a noun, and the word 'three story' is an adjective. As there is no word called threestory in the English dictionary, it is imperative to hyphenate to show it as a single word which modifies the noun.
In the second sentence the word 'private' is a noun. The same argument goes for the hyphenation of the word '900-student'.
3. I cannot figure out why on earth you have to write 'fly-by-night operations. Could you help me?
I want to read your comments on all the three sentences.
Top answer
Hello, Andrei. You've posted valid comments for the first two sentences. And I think I can tell you why you have to write "fly-by-night" in the third sentence: "fly-by-night" appears in the dictionary, with hyphens and all.
- Hello, Andrei.
- You've posted valid comments for the first two sentences.
- And I think I can tell you why you have to write "fly-by-night" in the third sentence: "fly-by-night" appears in the dictionary, with hyphens and all.
- It means "not firmly established in business, but interested only in making quick profits, especially by slightly dishonest methods".
- The dictionary also says it is a derogatory expression.
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
Hello, Andrei. 
You've posted valid comments for the first two sentences.
And I think I can tell you why you have to
You've posted valid comments for the first two sentences.
And I think I can tell you why you have to
00
Miriam
What is the dictionary yor are referring to?
I would like to look it up.
What is the dictionary yor are referring to?
I would like to look it up.
00
Andrei,
The dictionary I consulted is "Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture".
It's one of the best ELT dictionaries I've seen so far. Most of my students use it, and I use it a lot myself.
The dictionary I consulted is "Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture".
It's one of the best ELT dictionaries I've seen so far. Most of my students use it, and I use it a lot myself.
00
Yes, but how do you hyphenate something like:
"Are these right- or left-handed scissors?" Is the hyphen after "right" correct to use? Or is it better to say "Are these right or left-handed scissors?" Or perhaps to give up entirely and say "Are these right or left handed scissors?"
Thanks!
-susan
"Are these right- or left-handed scissors?" Is the hyphen after "right" correct to use? Or is it better to say "Are these right or left-handed scissors?" Or perhaps to give up entirely and say "Are these right or left handed scissors?"
Thanks!
-susan
0
Related Questions