0
Ryansamturner Posted 13 years ago
Grammar

Is it childlike or child-like?

I'm struggling with certain words, whether they should be hyphenated or not.

I'm writing a story and I use the following:

Childlike
Beastlike
Coma-like
Trance-like.

It seems like the first 2 are actual words in the dictionary, but can I also use them like 'Child-like', and 'Beast-like'?

Thanks
  

Top answer

"childlike" is normally written without a hyphen. I would personally have hyphenated "beast-like", but if a good dictionary lists it as one word then fair enough. The best policy with these words is to check a good dictionary (if a "-like" compound is not listed at all then use a hyphen).

— GPY

  • "childlike" is normally written without a hyphen.
  • I would personally have hyphenated "beast-like", but if a good dictionary lists it as one word then fair enough.
  • The best policy with these words is to check a good dictionary (if a "-like" compound is not listed at all then use a hyphen).
Free · every Monday

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.

1 Answers
0
"childlike" is normally written without a hyphen.

I would personally have hyphenated "beast-like", but if a good dictionary lists it as one word then fair enough.

The best policy with these words is to check a good dictionary (if a "-like" compound is not listed at all then use a hyphen).
0

Related Questions