A recent post containing the expression, "commercial free space" puts me in mind of various linguistic conventions; especially in the use or disuse of punctuation, notably hyphens in adjectival compound modifiers. Although one convention eschews the hyphen, in some applications it is vital; eg, tech writing, law; science, medical

1. Commercial-free space: A space in which no commercials may be found

2. Commercial free space:

a. A variety of (1) not only free of commercials but containing no matter nor energy. However, it may be rented; hence, commercial. The reader may speculate that it must first be supplied with matter, if not energy. Then it is no longer commercial-free


b. A space free for the insertion of either commercial or non-commercial messages but which has a secondary commercial value; eg, it is part of a commercial site

3. Commercial free-space: An edition of the video game either requiring a membership fee or bearing commercial messages (perhaps off to one side, as with Google)

There are several more obscure interpretations of the phrase depending on where we place the hyphen. For instance,

4. Commercial-free-space: An adjective describing anything containing, or otherwise associated closely with (1) through (3). Its exact meaning would thus have to be clarified in text

But in an even more complex instance, consider the following:

1. One horned flying purple people eater: a single people eater having at least one horn, capable of flight, and purple in color


2. One-horned flying purple people eater: as above but confirmed to have only a single horn


3. One-horned flying-purple people eater: body or possibly wings (if capable of flight) of a particular hue referred to as "flying purple". Eats any kind of people


4. one-horned flying purple-people eater: flies, eats purple people; still only one horn




5. One-horned flying-purple-people eater: eats purple people but only those that fly. May not fly himself but probably does


6. One-horned-flying purple-people eater: one of his horns is detachable, and flies by itself. May or may not not have a second horn, but if he does, it isn't airborne. He himself may or not fly. Unspecified whether his dinner flies but of course should be purple

Last edited by dalehileman; 02/20/06 04:04 PM.
dalehileman