Bull's Eye Business Writing Tips

Tip #397:  Spelling tip:  Compound nouns follow no regular pattern.  Some are written solid, some are spaced, and some are hyphenated.  Use your dictionary if you are not sure how to spell a compound noun.  Here are examples of a few:

Airfreight
Check mark
Cross-reference
Bookstore
Book review
Stand-in

Which words need a hyphen?

Backup
Signup
Shakeup
Holdup
Lineup
Hangup

Comment on last week's quiz:

Mike Edwards commented about the use of possessives in Tip #395 and #396: 
Re the use of possessives with animates, Roger Groce is wrong. To take his example, "the contract's provisions" could mean "the provisions in the contract", "the provisions of the contract", or "the provisions for the contract". You can argue about how different the first two are, but the third is clearly a different meaning.

Often, where something inanimate is concerned, and there is no likelihood of ambiguity, it is best not to use the possessive at all. E.g. "the pen nib", "an agenda item", or even "the contract provisions".

Here is what Roger Groce commented:
As a rule, nouns referring to inanimate things should not be in the possessive.  Use an "of" phrase instead.  For the life of me, I can't understand why English, especially "business English," should cling to this cluttered convention.  "The contract's provisions" is cleaner, shorter and more explicit than "the provisions of the contract."  In today's business environment, shouldn't cumbersome conventions yield to clarity?

"The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself."  (Benjamin Franklin)