I want to ask a question related to hyphens. Is there a hyphen between the words white and Thai in the sentence below?
- I saw a white-Thai temple.
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Sign up to join this communityI want to ask a question related to hyphens. Is there a hyphen between the words white and Thai in the sentence below?
From here:
Hyphen Rule 1: 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"
The two adjectives in your sentence do not act as a single idea, so they should not be hyphenated.
Correct: "I saw a white Thai temple."
Meaning: a temple (in Thailand or build in the Thai style) that is the color white.
Edit: By hyphenating "White-Thai", it communicates that these two words are part of the same idea, so it communicates two races, a person or thing that is both White and Thai. So it is possible to say "White-Thai temple", but that is a temple that was built using both cultures.