hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in English

English translation: three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

11:04 Aug 16, 2023

English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Art/Literary - Linguistics / spelling

English term or phrase: hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in English

I know, I know, the Internet is plenty ofexplanations...
I'd like to ask you here however:

Are the hyphenated phrases kinds of alternations in English language?
Example:
three-year vs. three years
Does these two phrases mentioned above and other alike - always mean the same?

Thank you!

Jacek Rogala
Poland

Selected answer:three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

Explanation:
At least that's my understanding

Selected response from:

writeaway

Grading comment

Thank you very much, again!
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SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED

3 +5

three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

writeaway

4 +1

use hyphen in compound adjectives before the noun

Vanessa Johnson

Discussion entries: 5

Answers

5 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +5

hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in english

three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

Explanation:
At least that's my understanding

writeaway
Native speaker of:

English

Grading comment

Thank you very much, again!

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you! With a little support from TonyM, it has to be brilliant answer! :)

1 day 2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in english use hyphen in compound adjectives before the noun

Explanation:
Generally speaking, hyphens should be used in compound adjectives placed before the noun they describe, while the same two words coming after the noun do not need a hyphen.

For example:

She has a three-year contract.
Her contract is valid for three years.

She has a three-year-old brother.
Her brother is three years old.

These sentences have the same meaning.

As some people have noted, it may be that hyphen usage is becoming less common. It is also true that new words may use hyphens when they are first introduced into the language, then over time the hyphen may be left out.

For example,

e-mail used to be the common spelling when the term was first introduced, but now it is more common to see email without the hyphen.

If you are not sure whether a word needs a hyphen, I would recommend consulting a dictionary (for example, Merriam Webster for US English and Collins or Cambridge for UK English). You will find that different dictionaries may recommend different spellings. So, sometimes there is not one correct answer, but if you use a dictionary, you can explain/defend your choice if a client asks.

Vanessa Johnson
Spain
Local time: 12:04
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you very much for your precious contribution and advices towards correctness of using the phrase!

Asker: Again, very useful explanation from you! I am very impressed over your efforts to convey the usefull knowledge!

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hyphenated/unhyphenated phrases in English

English translation: three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

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English translation: three-year is an adjective, three years is a period of time

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