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Possible Duplicates:
Chainsaw-equipped or chainsaw equipped?
How to connect a word and a phrase with a hyphen?
"One-Day Only Promotion" or "One-Day-Only Promotion"

Which is more correct?

Hardware-counter-based tools

or

Hardware-counter based tools

I don't even know exactly if I should put hardware-counter or hardware-counters.

Community
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Julian
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3 Answers3

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This one is tricky because it is solved with a mark of punctuation called the "en-dash." Its length is longer than a hyphen and shorter than a full em-dash. It's the middle one in this series: - – —

So with a term like "Hardware-counter-based tools" the solution is to use an en-dash between "counter" and "based," which signifies that the modifier "based" should apply to both words preceding it:

Hardware counter–based tools

Otherwise, the en-dash is used to indicate spans or ranges between units: 9:00–10:00, etc.

The Raven
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  • I'm setting this as the accepting answer. I think there is no need to put a hyphen between hardware and counter for disambiguation, as hardware counter is a pretty known term (in this context). – Julian Jun 09 '11 at 14:00
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The Raven is close but not quite there yet. "Hardware counter based" is a compound attributive adjective and needs both a hyphen and an en-dash:

This is a hardware-counter–based tool.

A hyphen is usually needed when using a compound adjective:

This is a counter-based tool.

The hyphen–en-dash combo is needed when one of the elements in the compound adjective is itself a compound. This helps the reader identify which of the words are associated with each other:

{ [ ( hardware ) - ( counter ) ] – ( based ) } tool

Not that the hyphen would be unnecessary if the phrase were used as a predicative adjective:

This tool is hardware counter–based.

Doug
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  • Your proposal is sound, but a bit overcomplicated, isn't it? Two kinds of dashes in the same phrase!? Wow! :) And why the hyphen is unnecessary if the phrase is used as a predicative adjective? – Julian Jun 08 '11 at 14:37
  • @Julian that's answered in the answer to this question... I think... – snumpy Jun 08 '11 at 15:02
  • Doug, take a look at the examples given here: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/marks/dash.htm In particular, "a White House–backed proposal" accords with the response I've given. I'd more happily allow the hyphen+en-dash solution for a term that is already hyphenated being used as a modifier. – The Raven Jun 08 '11 at 15:46
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    The reason for the hyphen in a compound modifier, the reason for the en-dash in a compound compound modifier, and the reason no dash is needed in "White House" are all the same reason: disambiguation. There may be more important reasons, but this is the more-important reason. A "cold-case worker" is not the same thing as a "cold case worker." But a "White House pet" will never be confused with a "white house pet." – Doug Jun 09 '11 at 03:13
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If you are referring to tools that are based on hardware-counters, I think it should be:

Hardware-counter based tools

There's no real need for the hyphen between "counter" and "based"

Thursagen
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    I may be mistaken here, but would you not say hardware-based tool or counter-based tool? Besides, in the article you and the OP provided hardware counter does not have a dash. – snumpy Jun 08 '11 at 13:04
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    In that article, "hardware counter" was being used as a noun, whereas in this case, it is being used as a compound modifier – Thursagen Jun 08 '11 at 13:07
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    The answers for both questions linked by @MrHen suggest that there needs to be a dash before based – snumpy Jun 08 '11 at 13:10
  • They only had two modifiers in that compound modifier. This has three – Thursagen Jun 08 '11 at 21:41
  • I'm afraid I find Raven's and Doug's answers far more plausible. – snumpy Jun 09 '11 at 15:40