I had a friend ask the other day if it is gluten-free or gluten free? In other words, is the phrase hyphenated or not?
Being a grammar nerd, I immediately started thinking about it. What I have been doing, without giving it a whole lot of forethought, is using a hyphen when I use the phrase as an adjective and no hyphen when I am saying something is gluten free.
i.e. I love Udi’s gluten-free bread. Udi’s bread is gluten free.
I wasn’t sure if this was right or not; it just made sense to me when writing. And I can’t guarantee that I have been entirely consistent with this practice, but when asked outright, I realized that is what I’ve been trying to do.
So to settle this very weighty matter once and for all, I consulted two friends who happen to be professional editors.
Kelly‘s response was:
You are right according to APA style, lady.
When two words are combined as adjectives, you hyphenate. If they are used alone, no hyphen.
I’m applauding you.
And June agreed:
Yes. That is also how I have learned it, AP Style, APA Style, possibly even Chicago style! I think you’re good.
Glutenfully,
June
So there you have it!
And also? Pat me on the back and give me a gold star.
Thankyouverymuch.
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Hadn’t thought about the ’2 words combined as adjectives’ thing before. Neat.
Your attention to good grammar, spelling, & avoiding typos is appreciated, Jo-Lynne!
That’s interesting to know you should hyphenate when they are adjectives . However, in your example about Udi’s bread, gluten-free is being used as an adjective in both sentences. In the first example, the adjective precedes the noun “bread.” In the second example, the adjective follows the noun “bread.” Regardless of placement, the term is still an adjective because it describes a noun. So in both of those sentences, I believe you would need to hyphenate “gluten-free.”
(I am an educator!)