MetaChat - Style Question

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07 January 2009

Style Question My boss wants to put a dash in grade level references: i.e. 5th-grade, 2nd-graders, etc. I think this is stupid and looks weird and I vote for just 5th grade, 2nd graders. Help finding citations to either uphold my case or teach me my place?

post by: mygothlaundry at: 11:17 | 12 comments

Ergh - too busy to look stuff up right now, but I only use the hyphen with "grade" in an adjectival phrase, as:

5th-grade students
7th-grade play
1st-grade reading curriculum

I wouldn't do it if it's just a noun phrase, as in

These programs are designed for students in 5th grade.
7th graders should report to assembly in second period.

posted by Miko 07 January | 11:26

On second view, even my first examples look weird. But there are some style guides to support it:

"-grade" compounds
1. As an adjective preceding the noun it modifies, a compound ending in grade is hyphenated. Thus "a first-grade student"; "a fifth-grade teacher"; "third- and fourth-grade mathematics"; "a primary-grade classroom."

2. As a noun, first grade is not hyphenated. Thus, "She teaches first and second grade."

3. As a noun equivalent of "a student in first grade," a phrase like first grader is not hyphenated: "Our sample included 28 second graders and 28 third graders."

posted by Miko 07 January | 11:27

What Miko said. Hyphenate noun phrases used as adjectives or adverbs.

This might either help or confuse.

posted by occhiblu 07 January | 11:56

Better citation:

Note that even if you use a hyphen between parts of an adjective or adverb (an eighteenth-century statesman), you should not do so in a modifier plus a noun (She lived in the eighteenth century).

posted by occhiblu 07 January | 12:02

Yep, hyphenate only if the words form compound adjective describing something.

posted by mudpuppie 07 January | 12:03

occhiblu summarized it quite well.

posted by Ardiril 07 January | 12:03

What occhiblu said.

posted by grouse 07 January | 12:35

Y'all rock; thank you.

lengthy rant about boss' total lack of intelligence and general annoyingness redacted. But. Holy shit. Coming back from vacation sort of opens your eyes in some ways, you know? Stuff that you don't notice so much gets thrown into high relief when you've been gone for a while. Argh.

posted by mygothlaundry 07 January | 12:37

Coming back from vacation sort of opens your eyes in some ways, you know?

Oh, my good lord, yes. Sigh.

posted by occhiblu 07 January | 12:40

Coming back from vacation sort of opens your eyes in some ways, you know? Stuff that you don't notice so much gets thrown into high relief when you've been gone for a while. Argh.

no kidding, mgl.

You know that scene in War of the Roses, where Kathleen Turner says "Because. When I watch you eat. When I see you asleep. When I look at you lately, I just want to smash your face in."? After two weeks of being around people I like, who never speak abusively to anyone, who rarely raise their voices; you know, polite, normal, considerate people, being in my office makes me want to smash faces in.

posted by crush-onastick 07 January | 13:00

Yeah, I third/fourth the getting away and then having to come back. I had some stupid idea that my mean/clueless/grumpy boss would magically turn a new leaf for the new year. He seems even worse now.

Makes it hard to get out of bed in the morning doesn't it???

posted by mightshould 07 January | 13:20

I like my co-workers.

posted by grouse 09 January | 10:34

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