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Goronsky Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

Your Expertise, Please

I'm editing a piece for a friend in which there is no house style, other than the fact that I'm requested to spell out the possessive of a decade (and I cannot recast per his wish). Instead of 'the 1990s' economic problems', I wrote it as 'the nineteen nineties' economic problems'. Does this look right to you, and would you throw in a hyphen between 'nineteen' and 'nineties'? I couldn't find any relevant examples online or via Google Books. This is an oddball. Any help is deeply appreciated.
  

Top answer

None of those solutions look good to me. I would recast it as eg 'the economic problems of the nineties'. If he says that you can't recast, tell him to edit it himself!

— Clive

  • None of those solutions look good to me.
  • I would recast it as eg 'the economic problems of the nineties'.
  • If he says that you can't recast, tell him to edit it himself!
  • Clive
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4 Answers
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None of those solutions look good to me.

I would recast it as eg 'the economic problems of the nineties'.
If he says that you can't recast, tell him to edit it himself!
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And if he asks why, I'm telling him 'because Clyde said so'. ;-)
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I said that. Did Clyde say it, too?

Clive
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LOL. I'm nearing 50 and didn't have my spectacles. And I'm editing? Emotion: geeked
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