What Are Suspended Compounds and How Are They Punctuated?
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Definition
A set of compound nouns or compound adjectives in which an element common to all members is not repeated. Also called suspensive hyphenation.
A hyphen and a space follow the first element of a suspended compound. (A hyphen with a space after it is called a hanging hyphen.)
See Examples and Observations below. Also see:
Examples and Observations
- "The festival starts with a parade, followed by the crowning of 'Little Miss Catfish,' who is chosen by drawing a name from among the five- and six-year-old catfish princesses."
(Bob Rashid, Gone Fishing. University of Wisconsin Press, 1999)
- The difference between the pre- and post-test scores is the so-called learning gain.
- More injuries are caused by falls from a three- or four-foot height than by falls from tall extension ladders.
 - More than half of three- and four-year-old children in the U.S. attend preschool.
- Several arguments support the idea that there is a fundamental difference between short- and long-term memory.
- At the Paperback Exchange, books of all kinds can be exchanged for first- and second-hand books in English.
- Cyrus McCormick, the head of International Harvester, typified nineteenth- and twentieth-century industrialists' understanding of manliness.
 - Stylistic Advice: Suspended Compounds
"Do not use suspended compound adjectives unless space is limited. In a suspended compound adjective, part of the adjective is separated from the rest of the adjective, such as 'first-' in 'first- and second-generation computers.' If you must use suspended compound adjectives, include a hyphen with both adjectives. Avoid forming suspended compound adjectives from one-word adjectives."
(Microsoft Manual of Style, 4th ed. Microsoft Press, 2012)
"Suspended compounds of the form 'water-based and -soluble paint' are licit but likely to confuse readers; substitute 'water-based and water-soluble paint.'"
(Amy Einsohn, The Copyeditor's Handbook. University of California Press, 2000)
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