Well written or well written?
Is the following sentence correct?
This book is well written.
Yes? You’re right. It is perfectly correct. There are no broken rules there. Now look at the next prize. Is it correct too?
This is a well written book.
No, it is not correct. But why? It’s basically the same sentence as the first, except that the sentence “well written” comes before “book” instead of after it. But that is precisely what makes the difference. Here is the rule:
- Separate the elements of a compound modifier only if that modifier precedes the noun.
I don’t know about you, but every time I read a grammar rule like that, it takes me back to the days of public school when well-meaning English teachers filled our minds with indecipherable rules. “What the hell is a compound modifier?” I should have asked. But of course I didn’t because the stunning Priscilla Price sat right next to me. Not that I didn’t want her to think that she didn’t know what a compound modifier was. Nobody knew. It’s just that I didn’t want her to think that I watch out what was a compound modifier. That wouldn’t be cool.
But I’m assuming you care because you’re reading this and you’re not ashamed that you care. So let me explain. HAS Edit is a word or phrase that describes another word. Modifiers can be adjectives or adverbs, but for our purposes, that doesn’t matter. So if you say “That’s an adjective” or “That’s an adverb”, I’m happy for you, but I don’t really care.
HAS compound modifier is a modifier made of more than one word. That’s why it’s called a “composite” edition.
So what the rule says is that Yes compound modifier comes before the noun it modifies, write it down. But if it comes after the noun, don’t split it. On that basis, the awards we dealt with above should be written as follows:
This book is well written. (The compound modifier comes after the noun, so there is no hyphen.)
This is a well written book. (The compound modifier comes before the noun, so it has a hyphen.)
Who came up with these rules and why? No one knows for sure, but I have a personal theory that a group of Nazi war criminals evaded capture, went underground, and decided that creating rules like this would be the cruelest thing they could do to the guys who beat them in the WWII.
It gets worse. Look at the next sentence. It’s right?
This is a beautifully written book.
I hate to break it to you, but it’s not right. “But why?” you say. “The phrase ‘beautifully written’ is a compound modifier, right?” Right. “And it precedes the noun it modifies in the sentence, right?” Right. “So it should be scripted, right?”
Wrong. Should not be hyphenated due to another rule perpetrated by the underground group of war criminals that establishes…
- Don’t put a hyphen after a word that ends in “ly”, even if the word is part of a compound modifier that precedes the noun it modifies. The exception is if the “ly” that ends the word is part of the main word, as in “family” (a family business).
At this point, you’ve probably either given up reading in despair or are completely frustrated and confused. It is helpful at times like this to remember what the Buddha said: “Life is suffering.” It would also be helpful to memorize the three sentences we’ve discussed and use them as guides or templates when you have questions about hyphenation with compound modifiers. This will keep you out of trouble 98.7 percent of the time. When memorizing the following correctly spelled sentences, pay special attention to the presence or absence of hyphens:
- This book is well written.
- This is a well written book.
- This is a beautifully written book.
Finally, here are some examples of these rules in action. All these sentences are correct and I hope now you know why.
He is a very well known actor.
He is a very well known actor.
She received a bonus of $5,000 a year.
She received a bonus of $5,000 a year.
It was a naturally flavored food.
The food had a natural flavor.
