Size or sized; hyphen or not

Question

Which is correct:1.various size documents2.various-size documents3.various sized documents4.various-sized documentsThanks"Grammar, which knows how to control even kings..." Moliere (1622-1673)

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Which is correct: 1.various size documents 2.various-size documents 3.various sized documents 4.various-sized documents[/nq]
The traditional rule is that an adjective should
be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Which is correct: 1.various size documents 2.various-size documents 3.various sized documents 4.various-sized documents[/nq]
[nq:1]The traditional rule is that an adjective should be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.[/nq]
I'm not sure you need the hyphen; no one is going to take "variously" for an adjective.
Better yet, I submit (and as I responded to the identical inquiry over on AEU), "documents of various sizes." Sometimes ya gotta rewrite.

Liebs

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Which is correct: 1.various size documents 2.various-size documents 3.various sized documents 4.various-sized documents[/nq]
[nq:1]The traditional rule is that an adjective should be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.[/nq]
"Size(d)" in these examples is not an adjective in the narrow sense in which adjectives require adverbs, and "variously", tho one sometimes sees in in print, is IMO a blunder. The usual parsing of these phrases is that the noun phrase "various sizes" is being used attributively to modify the noun "documents". The pluralization is dropped, as it is usually tho not invariably in attributive use; cf. "a ten-foot pole".
As to the examples themselves, they are all pretty common & grammatically defensible. The hyphen depends on whether you are a hyphenator or a hyphenhater. Most style books recommend hyphenating noun phrases when used attributively, and I agree with them; but there are many exceptions, and most writers apparently can't be bothered. As a copyeditor I insert a lot of such hyphens for pay.

The -d is a question of idiom. Nouns & noun phrases may be used unchanged to modify other nouns, as in "tooth decay" or "high-speed chase", or they may take the termination "(e)d" to form the more specific construction that indicates possession, as in "horned cattle" or "thin-skinned orange". In the case of the documents, one could argue it either way, but I think "high-speed chase" is the better analog, so I would make it "various-size documents". My impression, however, is that "-sized" is more common these days.
Joe Fineman joe (Email Removed)

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Which is correct: 1.various size documents 2.various-size documents 3.various sized documents 4.various-sized documents[/nq]
[nq:1]The traditional rule is that an adjective should be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.[/nq]
That's a fair improvement to 4, and is what I would write.
2 is acceptable to me as it stands, and is analogous to small-size,large-size.
1 can mean various documents concerning size. 3 can mean variousdocuments which have been sized (in any one of several senses). When I write seriously I try to avoid any possible ambiguity, except when I want to be ambiguous.

Paul
In bocca al Lupo!

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]The traditional rule is that an adjective should be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.[/nq]
[nq:1]"Size(d)" in these examples is not an adjective in the narrow sense in which adjectives require adverbs, and "variously", tho ... better analog, so I would make it "various-size documents". My impression, however, is that "-sized" is more common these days.[/nq]
Interesting. To my ear the first of the written examples is not defensible unless it refers to a number of documents describing sizing or documents which are sized or otherwise waxed and only marginally at that; the second is so inferior to the fourth as to be essentially indefensible; the third fails by ambiguity as it suggests a number of documents which have been measured, waxed or weighed; the fourth is inferior to the usual "variously sized" in that its use causes the reader (this one at least)to pause.
In conversation intonation might solve the problems but why create them in the first place?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]The traditional rule is that an adjective should be modified by an adverb, not another adjective, thus: variously-sized documents.[/nq]
[nq:1]"Size(d)" in these examples is not an adjective in the narrow sense in which adjectives require adverbs, and "variously", tho ... exceptions, and most writers apparently can't be bothered. As a copyeditor I insert a lot of such hyphens for pay.[/nq]
Just an observation:
"copyeditor" yields 92,400 Google hits and the support of 2 dictionaries. "copy editor" yields 551,000 Google hits and the support of 9 dictionaries.

I believe that copyeditors should be the lower-paid group.
[nq:1]The -d is a question of idiom. Nouns & noun phrases may be used unchanged to modify other nouns, as ... better analog, so I would make it "various-size documents". My impression, however, is that "-sized" is more common these days.[/nq]
I would refer to documents of various sizes.

Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

Size or sized; hyphen or not

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions