1.The height of Merlion is 15 meters.
2.The height of Merlion is 15-meter.
Which one is correct? Can we use this hyphenated adjective as predicative adjective?
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2You need a unit, right? So, the first one is my choice. 15-meter is a compound noun which can be used as an adjective.– CardinalFeb 4, 2018 at 5:09
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1Thanks a lot.Acoording to your advice, I've known that 15- meter can be used as an adjective.– user279757Feb 4, 2018 at 5:20
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1Note that the spelling is meters in the US and metres in the UK.– JavaLatteFeb 4, 2018 at 6:00
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1 Answer
Expressions like N-meter-high, N-meter-long, N-year-old etc. where N stands for a number can ONLY be used in attributive position. Notice that I'm placing extra emphasis on the word "only". An attributive position is when an adjective or a phrase functioning as an adjective is placed before the noun it modifies:
Merlion is a 15-meter-high building.
It's a 10-foot-long ladder.
He is a 46-year-old man.
If you want to say the same thing in postpositive position (an adjective or a phrase functioning as an adjective is said to be in an postpositive position when it comes after the noun it modifies), then there should be no hyphenation going on and measure words like meter, foot, year etc. should be pluralized:
Merlion is 15 meters high.
The ladder is 10 feet long.
He is 46 years old.
answered Feb 4, 2018 at 5:56
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1This explains when you need to hyphenate compond adjectives. grammarbook.com/punctuation/hyphens.asp Feb 4, 2018 at 6:06