Saturday, December 6, 2014

hyphenation - Adverb-adjective compound premodifier with or without hyphen?



Remarkably low condensation temperature



or




Remarkably-low condensation temperature?



The focus of remarkable is that it is such a low temperature. We are having an office disagreement and any help is much appreciated.


Answer



The wikipedia entry backs up what the style guide I use says:




In the 19th century, it was common to hyphenate adverb–adjective
modifiers with the adverb ending in -ly. However, this has become

rare. For example, wholly owned subsidiary and quickly moving vehicle
are unambiguous, because the adverbs clearly modify the adjectives:
"quickly" cannot modify "vehicle". However, if an adverb can also
function as an adjective, then a hyphen may be or should be used for
clarity, depending on the style guide.



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