Thursday, October 15, 2015

Got hyphens?

Every “tobacco free campus” — and there are many — needs a good supply of hyphens. Phrasal adjectives like tobacco-free need hyphens.

More signage and signage trouble
All OCA signage posts (Pinboard) : Intercollegate : Premisis

comments: 2

Berit said...

This tobacco campus is also a free campus. (?)

Or, is it some sort of hasty from morse code transcription of a direct address imperative (e.g. "Tobacco! Free Campus!")?

Why are WE grammar and usage Nazis--but corrections of math computation not mocked no matter what tone they are delivered in? You'd have to travel far to find someone disparaged while informing another that 2+2 (is not) = 5.

That flimsy "expression" argument doesn't even apply. It's just wrong. It's like an error in simple math. It's an error throwing off the logic or the computation. People have a duty to put it forth in good working order. If noticed, requires alteration to restore correct form.

(Please excuse me, I read a ridiculous paragraph on NPR today...)

Michael Leddy said...

I hate that term, both as cheap disparagement and as proud self-definition. (As used by awful English teachers.) The hyphen in “tobacco-free” respects logic and adds clarity. On a college campus, it should just be right.

Don’t get me started on NPR. : )