Hello,
I've read some books and articles, and I got confuse with year or years usage. There are some sentences: 35-year old women, 35-years old, five years experience.
Which one is correct, year or years?
Thanks a lot and regards,
sis
year/years usage question
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- GiddyGad
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Re: year/years usage question
sis wrote
...are you sure the '-' is necessary?;
35 years old = '6 feet tall' - like '5 books to read', 'two walls whitewashed with two left for tomorrow' etc. 'Years' here is a countable noun.
a five years' experience = an experience of five years = a five miles' distance; a two weeks' leave - 'years' is a countable noun in the possessive case.
35-year old women = two thousand four colour two by one meter posters - '35-year old' is an attribute, just like 'four colour' and 'two by one meter'...siso wrote:...I got confused with year or years usage. There are some sentences: 35-year old women, 35-years old, five years experience.
Which one is correct, year or years?
Thanks a lot and regards,
...are you sure the '-' is necessary?;
35 years old = '6 feet tall' - like '5 books to read', 'two walls whitewashed with two left for tomorrow' etc. 'Years' here is a countable noun.
a five years' experience = an experience of five years = a five miles' distance; a two weeks' leave - 'years' is a countable noun in the possessive case.
Re: year/years usage question
It's a 35 year-old woman.GiddyGad wrote:sis wrote35-year old women = two thousand four colour two by one meter posters - '35-year old' is an attribute, just like 'four colour' and 'two by one meter'...siso wrote:...I got confused with year or years usage. There are some sentences: 35-year old women, 35-years old, five years experience.
Which one is correct, year or years?
Thanks a lot and regards,
...are you sure the '-' is necessary?;
- GiddyGad
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Re: year/years usage question
Oops. Me, I wouldn't use a dash here at all. And the parallel examples show it's redundant. How come this one to be here when in other cases it isn't?.. Maybe, another stupid rule...simplyblessedwithlove wrote:It's 35 year-old women.
...I would even think that 'year' and 'old' combined with a dash could render the meaning of '35 women a year old each'...
Re: year/years usage question
I'm a 35 year-old lady.GiddyGad wrote:Oops. Me, I wouldn't use a dash here at all. And the parallel examples show it's redundant. How come this one to be here when in other cases it isn't?.. Maybe, another stupid rule...simplyblessedwithlove wrote:It's 35 year-old women.
...I would even think that 'year' and 'old' combined with a dash could render the meaning of '35 women a year old each'...
I'm 35 years old.
I don't know how to explain it right now. Let me look at the rules again. I just know it's how it's supposed to write. Quite embarrassing to say that sometimes I really don't try to understand English's rules.
- GiddyGad
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Re: year/years usage question
Probably you're right here.simplyblessedwithlove wrote:I'm a 35 year-old lady.
I'm 35 years old.
I don't know how to explain it right now. Let me look at the rules again. I just know it's how it's supposed to write. Quite embarrassing to say that sometimes I really don't try to understand English's rules.
Me, I can't remember things I don't understand. Understanding may be not only logical - emotional, perceptive, and aesthetic as well, mind you. ;)
- Pirate
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It is 35-year-old lady.
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
- GiddyGad
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Hmm... This does make sense. Thanks for the trouble.pirate wrote:It is 35-year-old lady.
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
Based on the rule link that you provided,pirate wrote:It is 35-year-old lady.
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
With a series of nearly identical compounds, we sometimes delay the final term of the final term until the last instance, allowing the hyphen to act as a kind of place holder.....
Well well well, just checking around and this could be right but you're missing an A right there. It has to be,pirate wrote:It is 35-year-old lady.
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
I'm A 35-year-old lady.
or
I'm A 35 year-old lady.
Either way is correct.
- Pirate
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Yeah, sorry for the "a".simplyblessedwithlove wrote:Well well well, just checking around and this could be right but you're missing an A right there. It has to be,pirate wrote:It is 35-year-old lady.
"35-year-old" is used as an adjective. View more here if you like:
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
I'm A 35-year-old lady.
or
I'm A 35 year-old lady.
Either way is correct.