Hello Dear Readers!  It’s time for the Trifecta Writing challenge which is as follows:

This weekend we are bringing you back to class with a little refresher course on compound modifiers.  We are talking about two words that combine together to describe something.  Such as a well-rounded individual or a one-way street or a lightly-oiled pan.  Here’s a fun Trifextra trick: conventionally, if the compound modifier comes BEFORE the word it modifies, it requires a hyphen and counts as one word.  If it comes AFTER the noun, it doesn’t need a hyphen and counts as two. For example:
The well-read woman had an extensive vocabulary. (7 words)
The woman was well read and had an extensive vocabulary. (10 words)

. . . . Because it’s only 33 words, we’ll count using our eyeballs instead of our machines, counting each hyphenated modifier as one word.  We encourage you to do so as well.

I’d Rather Be Hyphenating

Eyeball-counting editors

They certainly excel

At counting words upon the page

And other things as well

A hyphenated modifier

Never counts as two

As long as dashy-little lines

Are stuck between the two.

 Photo Credit:  No one will admit to it.

Until next time . . . I love you