Some grammar help please?

[TheHouseOnTheLane]

Should the phrase below have hyphens? If yes or no, could you please explain why in idiot speak?

"In this book,Tara factors in the realities of life as a nurse with practical and easy-to-implement advice."

No IMHO.

'Generally, hyphenate two or more words when they come before a noun they modify and act as a single idea. This is called a compound adjective.

Examples:
an off-campus apartment
state-of-the-art design'

No

Could you explain why please?

Yes, easy-to-implement should be hyphenated as the hyphens modify them to form a single idea - a compound adjective.

Yes, the hyphens are correct. Think of easy-to-implement as one idea modifying the word advice.

Beat me to it!

Some conflicting advice... which I expected because I'm confused too. I don't understand terms like compound adjective...I tend to go on instinct and am often correct but it's good to hear the proper reasons Million thank you...is that definite?

Yes, 100%. I'm hot on grammar and crap at concise explanations, hence the quote

m.grammarbook.com/punctuation-rules/hyphens.aspx

Compound adjective just describes more than one word linked together with hyphens, I believe. A compound word is just two words stuck together, like 'babysitter'.

grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm

Thanks so much Million!

Can you help me with "Over-time" and "Over-budget" too please?

Part of a sentence...

"Causing jobs to go over-time and over-budget"

Hyphens?

I think in your first example it's debatable (and almost as much about style as anything) and in your second definitely not.

Hyphens fine in your first post.

Definitely no hyphens required in your second examples.

It's not debatable - they definitely should be hyphenated as they are a compound adjective.

However, many people don't do it so we see examples of this all the time where it is not hyphenated. Doesn't make it right though.

Yes to hyphens in the OP, and like Wobblystraddle says, it's not debatable. It would be incorrect without them.

I've seen house style guides that disagree (possibly for aesthetic reasons of page clutter). I'd go with hyphens when it aided clarity, myself.

Can anyone tell me please why there should be no hyphens in over time and over budget?

Also can anyone please tell me why the following is hyphenated

"Always double-check that the client has recieved any messages"

It shouldn't I don't think

With phrases that sometimes seem to be hyphenated and sometimes not, it often seems to be a matter of consistency. House style sheets (which organisations produce to ensure consistency across all the writing produced for public consumption, so not just newspapers or publishers) can vary and decisions on those sheets are made by someone, whom others may not necessarily have agreed with.

Having said that, often the hyphen is there to avoid confusion. Take the noun phrase 'The big head teacher.' Does that mean the head teacher is big, or that the teacher has a big head? I'd say head teacher is big. But 'big-head teacher' communicates the other meaning. I am aware that this is a dreadful example, by the way, as bighead might be written in one word. You can never think of a good example when you need one! But I hope you get the drift.

Over time and over budget are just phrases, no linking together of them needed. However, if they became compound adjectives in a sentence - is that even possible? e.g. the over-time costs mounted quickly (dreadful example again, but hopefully you get my drift) - then they would need to be hyphenated.

Incidentally, my ex-boss when I was an editor (he ran the company) told me that you don't need to hyphenate when one of the words is an adverb e.g. the quickly running man (also clunky, cos it's early) doesn't need hyphenating, as it is obvious which of the words 'quickly' refers to in that noun phrase.

Fine tooth comb wobbly

It's not debatable - they definitely should be hyphenated as they are a compound adjective.

Really clear explanation Wobby. I've learnt (or should that be learned?) something. Out of interest when is it right to use a hyphen mid sentence like in your above example? I do it a lot but never know if it's technically correct.

It was a bit long, wasn't it

It's a matter of personal writing style imo toasted. Mine is long and rambling (did you notice?!) and punctuated with hyphens. Others might use a semi colon. But in the sentences above, my hyphens come in pairs, separating a subordinate clause (I think), which is a phrase that can be lifted out of a sentence and sentence still makes sense. Brackets can do the same thing, as can commas, but meaning can be nuanced - hyphens are more 'separating' than commas.

I'd be happy for anyone to correct me on any of this