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hyphens for modifiers - thank you

Posted: Dec 31, 2014

motor vehicle accident-related cognitive symptoms

motor-vehicle-accident-related cognitive symptoms ?

Any help is appreciated!

My preference...SM - Old Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
I searched 2 style guides and could not find a rule for your issue, BUT I would do it as in your first example. My reason is it seems too "busy" with all those hyphens and is perfectly understandable with just a hyphen between accident and related. If someone can come up with a hard and fast rule to use all those hyphens, I'll accept that.

Hyphen - PT

[ In Reply To ..]
I would just use one hyphen after accident because you hyphenate multiple words when they are all used as an adjective such as moderate-to-severe pain. Moderate to severe describes the type of pain so all three words are hyphenated. Motor vehicle doesn't describe the symptoms, only the type of accident. Only the words "accident related" describe the symptoms so those are the words you hyphenate. Am I clear as mud? :)

But - motor-vehicle describes

[ In Reply To ..]
the accident, and we don't work by our preferences but by our supervisor's preferences, and mine prefers motor-vehicle-accident-related

Yes, of course...SM - Old Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
you do it the way your employer wants. Mine doesn't require a hyphen between motor and vehicle. So guess it's their preference too. Good advice though.

We should....sm - PT

[ In Reply To ..]
always go by our employer's preferences, of course, unless our employer's preferences mean we have to misspell words and use bad grammar. ;)

I would type as motor vehicle accident related cognitive symptoms - Josea

[ In Reply To ..]
Y

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