well edited vs well-edited

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AntoineOMEGA
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well edited vs well-edited

Post by AntoineOMEGA »

When I wrote a review I got marked down because I used well edited instead of well-edited. In the guidlines it is written well edited, so is well edited correct or incorrect and why?
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MrsCatInTheHat
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

Depends on the overall sentence structure.
Life without a good book is something MrsCatInTheHat cannot imagine.
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Post by unamilagra »

Compound adverbs should be hyphenated if they are followed by the noun. So it would be:

This is a well-edited book.

Or:

This book is well edited.
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Post by AntoineOMEGA »

This is what I put. "This book was exceptionally well edited"
Is this right?
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

AntoineOMEGA wrote: 11 Jul 2019, 15:28 This is what I put. "This book was exceptionally well edited"
Is this right?
I believe you are correct. Note that if you choose to request a recheck though, you, as the reviewer are required to provide evidence as to "why" you are correct and the editor was incorrect. You can't just say, "You're wrong." Find a reputable website with the grammar rule & submit that with the recheck request.
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Post by Aditi Sapate »

I'll try to explain with the help of an example.
The book was well edited.
It was a well-edited book.
See the difference? In the second sentence it is a compound adjective. That is why there is a hyphen present.
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Post by Tobewankenobe »

This was so helpful! I love being part of these forums. I had no idea how to tell when to hyphenate the adjectives, and now I know it's when they're followed by the noun! Thank you for this post.
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Post by electricapple »

I also got marked down for my use of "well-edited" instead of "well edited". I didn't fully understand why from my editor scorecard but now I understand. This thread was so helpful!
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Post by Anngladys »

Aditi Sapate wrote: 07 Aug 2019, 03:13 I'll try to explain with the help of an example.
The book was well edited.
It was a well-edited book.
See the difference? In the second sentence it is a compound adjective. That is why there is a hyphen present.
This is such a great and helpful example! Thanks for sharing!
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Post by A Y reviews »

I think you should use grammar checkers to edit your work. These problems will be easily cured
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Post by MirageParul »

A Y reviews wrote: 18 Oct 2020, 14:24 I think you should use grammar checkers to edit your work. These problems will be easily cured
I used scribens online grammar checker and it did not find anything wrong in my sentence, "I give this book 4 out of 4 stars as it has been well-written and exceptionally well edited."
I would've been marked down had I not found this extremely well-explained thread!
"I've realised that anyone can be a critic but it takes a remarkable person to offer praise."
-Louise Penny, in the acknowledgements section of "Still Life"
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Post by Jona00baka »

Aditi Sapate wrote: 07 Aug 2019, 03:13 I'll try to explain with the help of an example.
The book was well edited.
It was a well-edited book.
See the difference? In the second sentence it is a compound adjective. That is why there is a hyphen present.

This has helped me alot. Thank you.
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Post by Kibet Hillary »

The thread has been helpful. The two words are quite confusing, at times, but now I know better.
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Post by Brett Linette »

I wish I would've come across this debate sooner; it would've saved me from falling onto the wrong side of it.
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Bradley Shelvie
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Post by Bradley Shelvie »

MirageP wrote: 27 Jun 2021, 05:47
A Y reviews wrote: 18 Oct 2020, 14:24 I think you should use grammar checkers to edit your work. These problems will be easily cured
I used scribens online grammar checker and it did not find anything wrong in my sentence, "I give this book 4 out of 4 stars as it has been well-written and exceptionally well edited."
I would've been marked down had I not found this extremely well-explained thread!
"Well-written" is without doubt incorrect because it does not precede any noun being modified. Exceptionally well edited is correct.

A rule of thumb is that compound modifiers should be hyphenated if they precede the noun being modified, for example:
1. A bullet-riddled car
2. An out-of-hand situation.
However, if the first word in the modifying phrase is an -ly adjective, a hyphen should not be used.
Incorrect: A brightly-lit room.
Correct: A brightly lit room.

Also, hyphens must be used where they are necessary for the clarity of the whole sentence.
A case in point is where you mean "sign a document again". You will say "The manager wants to re-sign from yesterday's work" and not "The manager wants to resign from yesterday's work" since the second has a different meaning.

I hope this will help, but I will update more rules soon.
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