3 Types of Hyphenation Errors with Numbers

3 Types of Hyphenation Errors with Numbers 3 Types of Hyphenation Errors with Numbers 3 Types of Hyphenation Errors with Numbers By Mark Nichol Writers are easily confused by, or are negligent about, proper use of hyphenation with phrases with numbers, whether the numbers are represented in spelled-out or numeral form. The following sentences represent various types of erroneous use of hyphenation; a discussion after each one points out the problem, and a revision resolves it. 1. In April 2016, the Houston area was soaked by a once-in-10,000 years rainfall event. This sentence, which refers to a rainfall event of the type that occurs once in 10,000 years, includes a phrasal adjective representing that frequency, and year is part of the phrase, so it must be connected to the rest of it: â€Å"In April 2016, the Houston area was soaked by a once-in-10,000-years rainfall event.† Alternatively, the statement can be relaxed (and rendered less cluttered and easier to read) by converting the phrasal adjective to a modifying phrase that follows â€Å"rainfall event†: â€Å"In April 2016, the Houston area was soaked by a rainfall event of the kind that occurs perhaps once in 10,000 years.† 2. In last year’s survey, 43 percent of 40-49 year-olds reported using the bank’s app. Here, as often, an attempt at suspensive hyphenation, in which one or more words is elided when two equivalent terms can share a supporting word or phrase common to them, has gone awry. The full version of the descriptive phrase is â€Å"40-year-olds to 49-year-olds,† and the omission of the first instance of â€Å"year-olds† should result in the following rendering: â€Å"In last year’s survey, 43 percent of 40- to 49-year-olds reported using the bank’s app.† (If a publications style dictates spelled-out numbers, the correct treatment is â€Å"In last year’s survey, 43 percent of forty- to forty-nine-year-olds reported using the bank’s app.†) 3. We expect to complete the project within the next five-to-ten years. The number range in this sentence is incorrectly styled due to a writer’s mistaken belief that because a range is involved, one or more hyphens belong in there somewhere. What is required, technically, is an en dash (–) rather than a hyphen (-)- but only if the numbers are treated as numerals: â€Å"We expect to complete the project within the next 5–10 years.† (Some publications, including many newspapers, dispense with the en dash and use a hyphen in such cases, but most books and magazines employ it; usage online and in other print media varies.) When the numbers are spelled out, no connective symbols are required: â€Å"We expect to complete the project within the next five to ten years.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate References to Dates and TimesTen Yiddish Expressions You Should KnowAppropriate vs. Apropos vs. Apt