Grammer Question: "In-Store Special" or "In Store Special"?

KeithTalent

Elite Member | Administrator | No Lifer
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Nov 30, 2005
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I vote for hyphenation.

Keep feeling hyphenation
Passion burning
Love so strong
Keep feeling hyphenation
Looking learning
Moving on

KT
 

BeauJangles

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Aug 26, 2001
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Hyphen.

They are neglected in everyday speech.


edit: fyi, you use hyphens to join two words that serve as a single adjective.
 
Last edited:

Perknose

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While "In-Store Special" is the grammatically correct choice, I knowingly ignore this dictum and use "In Store Special" anyway.

Btw, the grammatical reason behind the hyphen is that, otherwise, and without commas, 'In' would be seen as an adjective modifying the compound noun 'Store Special.'

Grammatically, you could have, "In, Store, Special" as you regularly would with more than one adjective, but it would make no sense. The hyphen is then otherwise called for to denote a single, compound adjective 'In-Store' modifying the noun 'Special.'

Btw, my Mom thought I was special!
 

mmntech

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Sep 20, 2007
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Hyphen.

In Store Special = Inside the store special, part of the special.

In-Store Special = Inside the store itself.
 

rcpratt

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Jul 2, 2009
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Hyphenation is not a well defined process in the English language. But it reads better with one.
 

BeauJangles

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Hyphenation is not a well defined process in the English language. But it reads better with one.

Sure it is.

multi-word adjectives that are supposed to describe the same object should be hyphenated, ala "in-store special." When you are forming complex nouns, the words should be hyphenated, ala "man-made."
 

Perknose

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Sure it is.

multi-word adjectives that are supposed to describe the same object should be hyphenated, ala "in-store special." When you are forming complex nouns, the words should be hyphenated, ala "man-made."

All true, but for some reason I resist this in many instances.