Wood On Words
Can’t get enough words about words with Sunday’s newspaper column? Then this blog’s for you, my word-craving friend. I work the late shift, so don’t look for responses until the next day.

Posts filed under 'hyphen or no hyphen'

A going concern

Add comment July 8th, 2008

When “goer” is attached to a word to add the meaning “one that attends regularly or frequents,” it usually doesn’t need a hyphen.

Among those that can be found in the dictionary are “churchgoer,” “concertgoer,” “filmgoer” or “moviegoer,” and “theatergoer.”

As with most things, it’s possible to go too far. For example, when faced with how to handle “Oktoberfest goer,” I would go with two words, for two reasons.

First, “goer” is a legitimate word all by itself.

Second, using it as one word, “Oktoberfestgoer,” is, as Mel Brooks might say, too German. Sure, it’s the appropriate cultural connection, but we don’t want to get into the habit of creating these unwieldy monsters.

Remember: We have to be able to say them, too.

Of course, another option is to recast a sentence so you don’t need any goers. Make the goers gone.

A review of ‘new’

2 comments July 2nd, 2008

I’ve noticed a tendency to hyphenate the adjective “newfound,” but no hyphen is needed. The way I remember it is the Canadian province “Newfoundland”: If that doesn’t need a hyphen, why should “newfound”?

Other Webster’s preferences on “new” words (proper names not included):

One word: newborn, newcomer, newlywed and, my favorite, newfangled.

Two words: new blood, new moon, new wave, new year and new math, which isn’t new anymore.

Hyphenated: new-mown (for describing freshly cut hay or grass) and new-fashioned.

The latter is the opposite of “old-fashioned,” which, when capitalized, is a cocktail containing whiskey, bitters, sweetening and a touch of water with a garnish of fruit. I haven’t heard of a drink called a “new-fashioned,” probably because the recipe would have to keep changing.

Cheers!