There are two hyphens and two apostrophes missing in this paragraph from Yahoo! Finance. Do you know where they go?
Correct! The hyphens belong in three-month (it’s a compound adjective modifying search) and 55-year-old. The apostrophes belong in what the Associated Press calls quasi possessives: ten years’ and three years’.
August 6, 2014 at 1:35 pm
I’ll buy the two missing hyphens and the first missing apostrophe; but I question the second apostrophe. I read it as he had three years during which he headed Walmart’s Sam’s Club. It seems to be a different kind of phrase. Not three years’ experience, just three years.
August 6, 2014 at 2:32 pm
Oops. My bad. Susan, you’re right. An apostrophe in “three years” would be wrong. Thanks for keeping me honest. My apologies to the splendid writers at Yahoo!