Hyphenation

Hi,

Are both of these correct? Yes.

Either preferred over the other? #1 is much more common.

The slow-moving truck.

The slowly moving truck.

Clive

Thanks, I made an edit to the post above, including another sentence. If you could take a look, that would be great.

Hi,

Three large gray shapes moved slowly toward us

These are three very unrelated adjectives. A hyphen suggets a close relationship, eg a blue-gray shape.



To some extent, such hyphens are also just used idiomatically.



Clive

English 1b3Three large gray shapes moved slowly toward us

None of these adjectives modify each other.

It's not a large type of gray compared to a small type of gray.
It's not a "three large"

You hyphenate when they modify each other.
There is a color called "brick red." You can have a a brick-red wooden box, which is a wooden box p

Grammar Geek
You hyphenate when they modify each other.

There is a color called "brick red." You can have a a brick-red wooden box, which is a wooden box painted brick red.

OK, I think I understand. You don't place a hyphen between 'red' and 'wooden' because the brick red isn't wooden; instead, the box is.

Grammar

You don't put hyphens between a list of adjectives.

A big old fat hairy spider. The spider is big and old and fat and hairy.

A small round blue marble.

You only use the hyphen when one adjective is modified by the other.

A cream-filled donut. The donus is filled with cream. It's not a cream donut that is filled.

And you used a hyphen when you use a no

Grammar GeekIt's clearly not the same as a red brick box, a box that is both red and made of brick.

Sorry, I understand the rule, but I can't see why there is no hyphen here. I mean, if the box is made of brick and is coloured red, then doesn't this mean the brick has to be red? So wouldn't this mean that the brick is modified by 'red'?

Let's just say this again.

You don't put in hyphens unless the adjectives modify each other.

You don't say a big-old-hairy-scary-black spider.

You don't say a useful-metal box. The metal isn't useful. The box is useful.

Grammar GeekYou don't say a useful-metal box. The metal isn't useful. The box is useful.

Sorry, I suppose what I'm trying to say is unimportant.

GG:"It's clearly not the same as a red brick box, a box that is both red and made of brick."

The box is made of brick. That means that the brick is red! So red modifies brick...

You are over-applying the rule.

You could say an "old wooden box" and say "yes, but naturally, if the box is old and made of wood it's an 'old-wood box' because you can't have an old box made of wood unless it was made of old wood."

It doesn't work that way.

Most bricks ARE red. It's not important for the reader to hear it was made of red bricks instead of grey bricks