I work at a publishing company that generally follows Chicago Manual. I thought "flood damage-resistant materials" is the proper way to hyphenate, but another employee thinks an additional hyphen should be added: "flood-damage-resistant materials." It seems to me "flood damage" should be kept unhyphenated because the materials are resistant to flood damage - it's a unit. Which is the more accepted usage? I looked through the CMoS hyphenation table and didn't see this scenario covered (multi-word noun + adjective + noun).
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1I would go with "Flood damage-resistant materials" along the lines of "fire-resistance": "Fire" and "flood damage" are both noun phrases. More than one hyphen makes a phrase look ugly and detracts from the message.– GreybeardCommented Oct 20, 2021 at 19:51
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Related, if not duplicate: english.stackexchange.com/questions/491730/…– HellionCommented Oct 20, 2021 at 20:18
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What on earth, an en dash in place of a hyphen? That's a first... Well, my workplace definitely wouldn't do that– nCardotCommented Oct 20, 2021 at 22:13
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1I agree with Hellion that if you're going to leave a space between "flood" and "damage" on the theory that "flood damage" is unitary in the same way that "Elvis Presley" or "Civil War" is, the logical next step is to replace the hyphen between "damage" and "resistant" with an en dash. That's how I read CMoS's treatment of partially open compounds, anyway. But I think your coworker has a more sensible approach: add a hyphen between "flood" and "damage." As a way to signal which words are part of the modifier, "flood-damage-resistant materials" is just as effective as "six-year-old arsonist."– Sven YargsCommented Oct 21, 2021 at 7:58
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2 Answers
A Google Books search turned up these examples:
Verify that flood damage-resistant materials are used below the DFE. International Code Council; Reducing Flood Loses Through the International Codes
Garages and other accessory buildings must be used only for parking of vehicles and storage, utilities must be elevated, flood damage-resistant materials must be used below the BFE, the requirements for flood openings must be satisfied ... FEMA; Openings in Foundation Walls and Walls of Enclosures
Wet floodproofing relies on the use of flood damage-resistant materials and construction techniques in areas of structures that are below the elevation required by ASCE 24-14 by intentionally allowing the areas to flood. S. M. Ashraf; Structural Building Design
But also:
Flood-damage-resistant material – Any construction material capable of withstanding direct and prolonged contact (i.e., at least 72 hours) with flood waters without suffering significant damage (i.e., damage that requires more than cleanup or low-cost cosmetic repair, such as painting). FEMA; Coastal Construction Manual, Vol III
Use flood damage resistant building materials and methods above the lowest floor.
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The following flood damage resistant materials and methods will prevent wicking and limit flood damage: FEMA Hurrican Katrina Recovery Advisories
answered Oct 20, 2021 at 19:11
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@nCardot Things get hairy with hyphens in these cases. The hyphens resemble chemical bonds and it may come down to choosing just the "strongest" ones and omitting the others. Also, established usage may not conform to overarching rules or patterns. Commented Oct 20, 2021 at 23:35
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@nCardot - but that's the essence of a 'style choice' - you either follow the 'authority/guiding principle' (style guide) that you are directed to follow by employer, publisher, academic institution, or you choose one that you like and stick to it. or you invent your own. Commented Oct 23, 2021 at 12:08
From your link, doesn't it fall under 'noun + noun, single function (first noun modifies second noun)' - like examples 'home-rule governance' & 'tenure-track position'?
That is, 'flood-damage resistant', and that seems natural to me.
It also adheres to the 'adjective + noun' rule given, of:
Hyphenated before but not after a noun.
