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#106062 - 08/03/08 07:36 PM hyphenate or not?
fivedogs
Junior Member


Registered: 06/21/05
Posts: 69
In this sentence would you use the hyphen or not? The Book of Style is not very clear on this, at least not where I'm looking.

The patient has a 37-weeks' intrauterine pregnancy.

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#106096 - 08/04/08 10:31 AM Re: hyphenate or not? [Re: fivedogs]
Ebit
Member


Registered: 01/10/03
Posts: 1294
Loc: Black Hole of the Internet
I would hyphenate it, since it's a compound adjective. It's not a 37 pregnancy or a "weeks'" pregnancy. It's a 37-week pregnancy. (Putting it in this form requires that you adjust the spelling a bit.)
_________________________
The means are the end. - Laia Asieo Odo

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#106695 - 08/08/08 09:45 AM Re: hyphenate or not? [Re: Ebit]
Donna2
Member


Registered: 12/31/69
Posts: 6152
Loc: Sunny FL
Ebit is right. You don't pluralize when the word "a" is used. A indicates one unit. It would read either "a 37-week pregnancy," or "patient is 37 weeks' pregnant.
_________________________
Donna



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