Hyphen question: blending proper nous with common nouns in compound adjectives?

[SPL Tech]

Please note that I am an undergraduate college student. Therefore, my question is in references to college-level academia.

As we know, English users are supposed to hyphenate compound adjectives (super-big house). However, often I see proper-noun compound-adjectives remain unhyphenated (my Las Vegas house). But what words do I hyphenate when I mix a common noun with a proper noun in a compound adjective? Say for example, “my Las Vegas based house.” At first I am tempted to say, “Las Vegas-based house.” But if I write the sentence that way it seems like I am only saying “Vegas-based house,” which is not what I am trying to say. Ideas?

edit title: *nouns

 

[I.M. Knott]

A good unabridged dictionary can answer many questiions re compound nouns and adjectives.

 

[probus]

Please note that I am an undergraduate college student. Therefore, my question is in references to college-level academia.

As we know, English users are supposed to hyphenate compound adjectives (super-big house). However, often I see proper-noun compound-adjectives remain unhyphenated (my Las Vegas house). But what words do I hyphenate when I mix a common noun with a proper noun in a compound adjective? Say for example, “my Las Vegas based house.” At first I am tempted to say, “Las Vegas-based house.” But if I write the sentence that way it seems like I am only saying “Vegas-based house,” which is not what I am trying to say. Ideas?

edit title: *nouns

In my opinion this use of hyphens is fading in AmE, both casual and academic. Our teachers who speak BrE seem to continue to favour hyphens, and they are joined at least to some extent by BarbD, our leading expert on AmE. But I still say that I see a lot of AmE usage in which hyphens that were customary thirty or more years ago are currently omitted.

 

[5jj]

If your house is based in Las Vegas, where else does it go?

 

[emsr2d2]

I was wondering exactly the same as 5jj. It's just your Las Vegas house/home. If we consider something that is actually mobile, it might be easier. Let's say you have two work colleagues, one of whom is based in New York and the other in Las Vegas. If I had to use the construction you're querying then I would use "my New York-based colleague" and "my Las Vegas-based colleague". You're right that it looks a little odd which is why I would probably use it in speech but in writing I would say "my colleague who is based in ...".

I'm pleased to say that, as yet, the "super + adjective" hasn't really made it into common BrE parlance although I've heard it a few times from teenagers. Consequently, I have no reason to write it down. If I had to, I would probably hyphenate it because "a super big house" means "a really good big house".

 

[Barb_D]

The problem is not common nouns blending with proper nouns. It's multiple words used to modify the noun when they come before the noun.

It's a style issue. Personally I draw the limit at two hyphens except for accepted phrases like "turn of the century," which get hyphens when before the noun the modify.

So the "correct form" is Las-Vegas-based operations (I agreed a house isn't "based" anyway but operations can be) but I'd try to rewrite as possible.