Eva Pasco's Blog - Posts Tagged "hyphens"
Tomato or Tomahto? (The Writer’s Great Divide)
Pyjamas or pyjahmas
Saspiralla or saspirella
Oysters or ersters
(From “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” a song written by George Gerswhin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film ‘Shall We Dance’)
An apropos lead-in for the last stretch of an 8-yr. journey to conceive and complete ‘An Enlightening Quiche’ (562 pages) in the genre of Women’s Fiction COMING SOON:
"It takes an heirloom quiche recipe and a baking rivalry between two bosom buddies to decipher and enlighten the past, reconcile irreversible mishaps in the present, and redefine the future by embarking along paths in uncharted territory plotted with noble intentions honed through self-sacrifice."
Rounding the bend to the finish line this weekend, I’m currently reorganizing and reviewing my corrections list for the electronic galley proof, rendering decisions over the realm of picayune peccadillos pertaining to the use of hyphens in compound adjectives, and in general.
For example: heartrending or heart-rending
Merriam-Webster: heartrending vs. Collins: heart-rending
Further research on the subject of hyphens led me to Grammar-Monster.com:
In the US, your readers will be more lenient. The US ruling is: Use a hyphen if it eliminates ambiguity or helps your reader, else don't bother. If you're unsure, use hyphens. You won't be marked down for using hyphens.
Tomato or tomahto, I will weigh the evidence and exercise my best judgment as I did when composing the story. Of utmost importance to this writer is my connection with the reader through the story elements, sentence clarity, realistic dialog, and imagery.
On the subject of “hypens” – goodbye! Or, is it good-bye?
Rule of thumb, when unsure don’t procrastinate—hyphenate!
Saspiralla or saspirella
Oysters or ersters
(From “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” a song written by George Gerswhin and Ira Gershwin for the 1937 film ‘Shall We Dance’)
An apropos lead-in for the last stretch of an 8-yr. journey to conceive and complete ‘An Enlightening Quiche’ (562 pages) in the genre of Women’s Fiction COMING SOON:
"It takes an heirloom quiche recipe and a baking rivalry between two bosom buddies to decipher and enlighten the past, reconcile irreversible mishaps in the present, and redefine the future by embarking along paths in uncharted territory plotted with noble intentions honed through self-sacrifice."
Rounding the bend to the finish line this weekend, I’m currently reorganizing and reviewing my corrections list for the electronic galley proof, rendering decisions over the realm of picayune peccadillos pertaining to the use of hyphens in compound adjectives, and in general.
For example: heartrending or heart-rending
Merriam-Webster: heartrending vs. Collins: heart-rending
Further research on the subject of hyphens led me to Grammar-Monster.com:
In the US, your readers will be more lenient. The US ruling is: Use a hyphen if it eliminates ambiguity or helps your reader, else don't bother. If you're unsure, use hyphens. You won't be marked down for using hyphens.
Tomato or tomahto, I will weigh the evidence and exercise my best judgment as I did when composing the story. Of utmost importance to this writer is my connection with the reader through the story elements, sentence clarity, realistic dialog, and imagery.
On the subject of “hypens” – goodbye! Or, is it good-bye?
Rule of thumb, when unsure don’t procrastinate—hyphenate!
Eva’s Byte #481 – Splitting Hairs
In the capacity of a writer approaching the light at the end of the tunnel for publication, I’m at the third and final stage of reading through my manuscript. Far be it from me to notice, post-publication, a missing end punctuation mark or some other pesky oversight. Hope not!
So, I’m splitting hairs checking and rechecking dicey areas, such as:
One word or two?
For instance: backyard or back yard?
According to grammarians, backyard (one word) may be used as a noun, or used to function as an adjective.
Back yard (two words) can be used in the role of a noun when referring to “the back part of a yard”.
While both spellings are acceptable, backyard is preferable in both contexts.
Yes, back-yard (hyphenated) in the adjectival sense also exists, but it seems to be less prevalent.
So, I am proceeding accordingly as I split hairs roving my eyes from the prologue to epilogue.
On a note of farewell: goodbye or good-bye?
*May each of us writers polish and perfect our works in progress with an eye out for the reader.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
So, I’m splitting hairs checking and rechecking dicey areas, such as:
One word or two?
For instance: backyard or back yard?
According to grammarians, backyard (one word) may be used as a noun, or used to function as an adjective.
Back yard (two words) can be used in the role of a noun when referring to “the back part of a yard”.
While both spellings are acceptable, backyard is preferable in both contexts.
Yes, back-yard (hyphenated) in the adjectival sense also exists, but it seems to be less prevalent.
So, I am proceeding accordingly as I split hairs roving my eyes from the prologue to epilogue.
On a note of farewell: goodbye or good-bye?
*May each of us writers polish and perfect our works in progress with an eye out for the reader.
My sincere appreciation to you for reading this far.
Eva’s Authors Den Page: http://www.authorsden.com/evapasco
