Having a debate here over how to form the description of employment.
A) Bob works full time on the project.
B) Bob works full-time on the project.
The same applies for part time/part-time.
Which is (more) correct?
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You may find this discussion to be interesting. – Lumberjack Oct 11 '13 at 03:51
2 Answers
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It might depend where your 'here' is:
full-time
adj: for the entire time appropriate to an activity
a full-time job; a full-time student
adv: full time: on a full-time basis:
he works full time
Compare part-time; full-timer n Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991 . . .2003
full-time
adj.: working or operating the customary number of hours in each day, week, or month. Compare part-time.
adv. : on a full-time basis. [1895–1900]
[Bob works full-time]
full′-tim′er, n. Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary . . .
[quotes tidied slightly & augmented but not significantly changed]
You have to check individual acceptable styles individually (so Lumberjack's reference, while interesting and accurate, may not help here) and be prepared for different 'rulings' from different authorities.
Incidentally, the above two dictionaries are consistent in their treatment of part-time / part time. AHD doesn't include the adverb polyseme.
Edwin Ashworth
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Interesting, but I'm not clear on your first sentence where you said it may depend on where 'here' is. Are you saying different countries vary? This wasn't clear (to me) from your dictionary references. If it helps, it's for an Australian situation. – Mark Mayo Oct 11 '13 at 12:33
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Collins shows largely UK-preferred variants and RHKWCD US-preferred (as does AHD). I'm sorry that I can't say whether the Aussie preference is for the open or hyphenated form of the adverb polyseme. However, I'd not label either of the variants 'wrong'. You may want to check articles on 'compound words' both here and on the wider internet - but accepted and preferred styles are not constant either across time or across geographical boundaries. You need a good up-to-date Aussie dictionary. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 11 '13 at 22:06
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thanks I'll look into which dictionaries are most commonly accepted here. – Mark Mayo Oct 12 '13 at 00:04
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Usually people are more unsure over whether it's full-time or fulltime. The correct is hyphenated. As an adjective/adverb (in this case, of working), it is hyphenated. This is the way these words are used most often.
liam_wil
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1Wrong. One accepted way to write the compound adverb is to use a hyphen. – Edwin Ashworth Oct 11 '13 at 11:42