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Question by  monara (1)

Is "light-duty" always hyphenated even when no word follows to denote it as an adverb?

Example: He was on light-duty.

 
+7

Answer by  patti (29325)

In the example, light duty would not be hyphenated. "He was on duty," with duty as a noun, and "He was on light duty," with light as the adjective modifying the noun. "Light-duty" would be used to describe something, e. g. "His assignments were limited to paperwork and light-duty," where "light-duty" is used to described "assignments. "

 
+3

Answer by  MzKitty (273)

No. It is only hyphenated when the entire phrase stands in as an adjective; if light is the adjective and duty the noun, then there is no need to hyphenate it.

 
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