The main moment when you don`t separate an age is when it comes after the name that changes it. You don`t need an apostrophe when talking about the years of a person`s life. You probably already knew these rules and didn`t know it. They actually apply to all compound adjectives. For example, you might say that you will review grammar rules on a case-by-case basis. Describes the name it precedes on a case-by-case basis. However, if you say that your revision of grammar rules is done on a case-by-case basis, the hyphenation is not necessary. Do you mean age? Before you start, you need to know something. Is “annual” a hyphen or not? It`s easy to see why this rule makes sense.
It`s easier for the reader and it doesn`t clutter up your text. For example, which of the following statements is easiest to read? I`m curious. Do you need to write the number (one-year-old toddler)? Or can you just write a 1-year-old toddler? A forty-three-year-old Ugandan lady. or. A 43-year-old Ugandan woman. In this article, we`ve covered when it`s appropriate to separate a year. Should you use a one-year hyphen or not? Here`s the rule, here`s the name game after a year, so let`s separate it. But if we rearrange the sentence, hyphen “yearold” if it changes the name after it. So if the phrase indicates the age of a person, place, or thing, it should be written as “one year.” This adjective will also appear before the noun in the sentence. They also separate if the compound phrase is used as a noun: the same rule applies to children under 10 years old. In this article, I would like to give you some tips on how to manage age in your writing.
How should you write the ages? When should you write the hyphenation? Should you spell out numbers or use numbers? As mentioned earlier, the hyphenation or non-hyphenation of “year old” or “years old” is part of a broader grammatical rule that governs compound adjectives. The same rule applies if you are talking about two-seater aircraft, five-foot-tall men or part-time security guards. For example, if the compound is used as an adjective before a noun, separate: Many people are confused about when to use hyphens when writing age, and I think that`s because sometimes an age is a noun, sometimes an age is an adjective that precedes a noun and modifies it, and sometimes an age is an adjective, which comes after a name. If age comes after the name, do not separate “year”: ✅ the baby is two months old. The baby is two months old. If you use “year” as an adjective, you need to hyphen the words. ❌ For example, you would write “the two-year-old.” “Two years” is an adjective that describes the child. In this example, age – 70 years – is used as a noun, and you separate it: A good tip is to pay attention to the expression.
If a name comes after years, you need to separate it. For example, you would write the hyphenation: “Even now, as a thirty-year-old [human, man-child, whatever].” Is “annual” a hyphen or not? The answer depends on whether the sentence precedes or follows the name it describes, or whether or not it is used as a name. I thought you could also add the variation to this post if we refer to a person by age, without other modifiers: “Only a non-ten would say something funny like that.” Or: “I have two children, one three-year-old and one ten-year-old.” I don`t know how best to articulate the rule, but I did it right, didn`t I? I am just checking. I only agree with this argument to a certain extent, Peter. Their other examples are not the same. So yes, totally okay with ice cream and ice cream cake. But the difference here is that “my one-year-old” simply omits the word child/baby/son/daughter (etc.) as an abbreviation. There is no one-year-old per se, because if I were a robot, I would say, “A one-year-old what? You need a name. But in reality, we all know what that means. So, implicitly, the adjective compound modifies a noun that is not there simply because of the accepted (or colloquial, if you will) abbreviation. “Elderly” is an adjective defined by the OED as “lived for some time”. Therefore, the party is organized for people who have lived for 21 years (not years). Here are some other common ways to deal with age in writing: ✅ The holiday is for people over 21.
The party is for people aged 21. The party is for people aged 21. ✅ ❌ Just as you would say, “This woman in the purple hoodie loves Justin Bieber,” with “woman” as the name, age — 70 — can take the place of “woman.” If an age is such a name, it is separate. If we rearrange the sentence, we do not need a hyphen, because after our pain years no longer comes a name. Similar age phrases are also separated when they function as nouns. The 12-year-old child is 12 years old. I need to make a sign for a 2-4 year old class. Would that be the right way to write it? Or class from 2 to 4 years old? As mentioned earlier, age is cut off in this sentence as it acts as a noun.
When we talk about “21-year-old revelers” (i.e. more than one), we pluralize “a 21-year-old partygoer” and make him “21-year-old revelers”. Good examples. It was exactly what I was looking for to tell the difference between – a year and a year In the CP (Canadian Press) style, fourteen would be written as a number, as in: a 14-year-old burger (food is NOT in question 😉). Doesn`t the AP style have the same policy? Now, let`s continue if you don`t separate age: if age is part of an adjective after noun, don`t separate it. For example, if age is a noun, use hyphens: ✅ it rests on the ground like a three-year-old. He lies on the floor like a three-year-old. ❌.