It is driving me crazy that when judicial opinions talk about different degrees of crimes -- first degree murder, second degree assault, and so on -- they do NOT hyphenate in the way that I would expect them to.
That is, they say "first degree murder," not "first-degree murder," and I keep having to go back and take out my hyphens.
(I'm not completely crazy, am I? My way would be the correct way in the ordindary world??)
Okay, back to the land of the hyphenless.
Well, I would hyphenate...
Posted by: Dr. Moonbeam | Friday, May 15, 2009 at 11:33 AM
Huh. Maybe I'm too used to reading/talking about crime categories (and/or my grammar is off), because I think first-degree murder is weird-looking and wrong.
Posted by: life_of_a_fool | Friday, May 15, 2009 at 12:29 PM
It also amazes me how judicial opinions and statutory law are filled with run on sentences!
Posted by: Seeking Solace | Friday, May 15, 2009 at 12:55 PM
Yes, grammatically, noun phrases used as adjectives get hyphens. But legal discourse has its own grammar rules.
Posted by: Tree of Knowledge | Friday, May 15, 2009 at 04:31 PM
Does first modify degree? It seems like in the law, it doesn't--that is, "first degree" is a two-word adjective, rather than an adjectival phrase like "sixteenth-century legal theory," etc.
Posted by: Historiann | Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 09:17 AM
Legal English: Not Normal English.
Posted by: sharon | Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 03:06 PM
When in doubt, head to the CMS, where the rul is, I think, a lot more complicated than Historiann said, but that's the basic rule.
Posted by: Taco John | Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 07:59 PM
What Historiann said. I want to hyphenate, too.
Posted by: Mommyprof | Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 01:42 PM
Coming very late to this. @Historiann, first obviously modifies degree. It doesn't modify murder, does it? @Tree of Knowledge, yes, but specifically noun phrases used as adjectives in the predicative position, as here, get hyphenated, but not, or only in a restricted set of cases, when used in the predicative position (i.e. after a linking verb).
In other words, NK is right.
Yes, I have been proofreading for the last hour. Sorry.
Posted by: Thoroughly Educated | Monday, May 25, 2009 at 02:25 PM
I have worked as a proof reader for court reporters on and off for years for extra money (you know-- for grad school luxuries like... heat and food). Anyway, yeah, I have found that lawyers are generally the most poorly-spoken people (see... hyphenating) in the world with the least understanding of grammar and the functions of the English language. I hope you can bring some clarity and change to the legal world.
Posted by: lifexhistory | Monday, June 01, 2009 at 10:56 AM