Compound Phrases: Is that One Word or Two?

Having majored in English Literature as an undergrad, naturally I love engaging in conversations about literature and language. Aside from being a fabulous way to connect with people, I am constantly learning of books, authors, and points of view I wouldn't have otherwise.  Most people, however, aren't equally as excited to discuss grammar or elements of style, arguably the less interesting aspects of language.  I, too, was loath to discuss these necessary yet often subjective aspects of language.

As people who grew up with English, we tend to rely on our intuitive sense of the language to write or edit--after all, style is subjective.  However, there are times when that workaround is not good enough, or other times when we just want to settle a debate with a fellow lover of language.  Thus, I have decided to start blogging on the topic of editorial style as a way to strengthen my own editing skills while providing an accessible forum wherein aspects of editorial/writing style may be discussed.  So where do I start? Yesterday a former student, who's currently writing her personal statements to meet imminent application deadlines, asked me if there is an easy way to remember when to hyphenate words.  "When do I hyphenate a phrase like "time intensive" or "problem solving"? Thus, inspired by my student's question, my first Editorial Style blog entry is on compound phrases.


It helps to keep in mind the 3 basic categories of compounds:
Open, hyphenated and solid (or closed)

• Open:  A compound written in two words (e.g., high school, common sense)
• Hyphenated:  A Compound phrase linked by a hyphen (e.g., self-confidence, ego-driven)
• Solid:   Compounds written as one word (e.g., schoolteacher, headache)

Although the structure of some compounds is fixed, the treatment of others depends on their grammatical function.  For example, a compound such as time consuming, is hyphenated when it precedes a noun, as in When I take a math exam I attempt the easier, less time-consuming problems first.  When the same compound follows a noun, however, it is open, as in The research I did in grad school was time consuming.  

Adjectival compounds that precede nouns are called attributive, while ones that follow the nouns they modify are known as predicate adjectives.