Is the following sentence correct?
This book is well written.
Yes? You are right. It is perfectly correct. There are no broken rules there. Now look at the next sentence. Is it also correct?
This is a well written book.
No, it is not correct. But why? It’s basically the same sentence as the first, except that the phrase “well written” comes before “book” instead of after. But that is precisely what makes the difference. This is the rule:
- Indicate the elements of a compound modifier only if that modifier precedes the noun.
I don’t know about you, but every time I read a grammar rule like that, it goes back to the days of public school, when well-meaning English teachers filled our minds with indecipherable rules. “What the heck is a compound modifier?” I should have asked. But of course I didn’t because the stunning Priscilla Price sat next to me. Not that I didn’t want her to think that she didn’t know what a compound modifier was. Nobody knew. It’s just that I didn’t want her to think that I watch out what composite edition it was. That wouldn’t be cool.
But I guess you care because you are reading this and you are not ashamed to worry. So let me explain. TO Edit it is a word or phrase that describes another word. Modifiers can be adjectives or adverbs, but for our purposes, that doesn’t matter. So if you say “That’s an adjective” or “That’s an adverb,” I’m happy for you, but I don’t really care.
TO compound modifier is a modifier made up of more than one word. That’s why it’s called a “compound” modifier.
So what the rule says is that yew the compound modifier comes before the noun it modifies, separate it with a hyphen. But if it comes after the noun, don’t hyphenate it. On that basis, the sentences we dealt with above should be written as follows:
This book is well written. (The compound modifier comes after the noun, so there is no hyphen.)
This is a well written book. (The compound modifier comes before the noun, so it has a hyphen.)
Who comes up with these rules and why? No one knows for sure, but I have a personal theory that a group of Nazi war criminals eluded capture, went underground, and decided that creating rules like this would be the cruelest thing they could do to the guys who defeated them in the game. WWII.
It gets worse. Look at the next sentence. It’s right?
This is a beautifully written book.
I hate to tell you, but it’s not correct. “But why?” you say. “The phrase ‘beautifully written’ is a compound modifier, right?” Correct. “And it precedes the noun it modifies in the sentence, right?” Correct. “Then it should be hyphenated, right?”
Wrong. It should do not be hyphenated due to another rule perpetrated by the underground war criminal group that establishes …
- Don’t put a hyphen after a word ending in “ly”, even if the word is part of a compound modifier that precedes the noun it modifies. The exception is if the “ly” ending in the word is part of the core word itself, as in “family” (a family business).
At this point, you’ve probably either desperately stopped reading or are desperately frustrated and confused. At times like this, it is helpful to remember what the Buddha said: “Life is suffering.” It would also be helpful to memorize the three sentences we have discussed and use them as guides or templates when you have questions about separating compound modifiers. This will keep you out of trouble 98.7 percent of the time. When memorizing the following correctly written sentences, pay particular attention to the presence or absence of hyphens:
- This book is well written.
- This is a well written book.
- This is a beautifully written book.
Finally, here are some examples of these rules in action. All of these sentences are correct and hopefully now you know why.
He is a very well known actor.
He is a very well known actor.
He received a bonus of $ 5,000 a year.
He received a bonus of $ 5,000 a year.
It was a naturally flavored food.
The food had a natural taste.
