A compound adjective with a double noun: where does the hyphen go?

Question

I have a noun that consists of two words ("impact parameter") that I am trying to turn into a compound adjective to describe a certain type of collision ("high impact parameter collision"). Where, if anywhere, should the hyphens go on this phrase? The two choices I can't decide between are:

high-impact parameter collision
high-impact-parameter collision

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 29 '17 at 18:37

0

There may be some obscure rule for this, but if I were you, I'd trust my intuition a tiny bit more.

"High" here modifies "impact," not "parameter." However, this only becomes manifest if you join them together by using a hyphen.

That said, yet another hyphen would negate the effect, rendering the meaning of the phrase vague once again.

I would therefore vote for

high-impact parameter collision

I hope this helps.

answered Mar 29 '17 at 18:37

Ricky

20,450

1

high modifies "impact parameter". I'm not talking about parameters with high impact, I'm talking about collisions with high impact parameters. "Impact parameter" refers to one idea. – NeutronStar Mar 29 '17 at 18:50
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@Joshua I think that's only clear if you go with "high impact-parameter collision". Leave the noun as a compound noun and don't hyphenate to make the adjective. An alternative for academic writing is to define a new term or acronym once, clearly, then only use that. Going with "high-IP collision" might resolve the concern while preserving readability. – Mathily Mar 29 '17 at 19:17
@Joshua: Whatever floats your boat, dude! – Ricky Mar 30 '17 at 00:39

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 29 '17 at 21:44

0

Does the parameter collision have high impact?

I might use high-impact parameter-collision

Or do the parameters have high impact and they then collide?

I might use high-impact-parameter collision

Or is the impact parameter collision high?

I might use high impact-parameter-collision

Or are the impact parameters high and they then collide?

I might use high impact-parameter collision

A lot of this comes from personal preference. Perhaps it should all be rephrased for greater clarity

answered Mar 29 '17 at 21:44

Henry

20,183

Yes; stacking modifiers quickly leads to inevitable clunkiness and frequent ambiguities. – Edwin Ashworth Mar 29 '17 at 22:37
The planets have an impact parameter that is high when they collide. – NeutronStar Mar 30 '17 at 14:45

A compound adjective with a double noun: where does the hyphen go?

2 Answers2