[Grammar] NEVER-FAILS-STRATEGY

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What is the difference between a "never-fails strategy" and a "never-fail strategy"?
 

SoothingDave

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I don't think there is any difference in meaning. "Never-fail" is the expression I am familiar with.
 
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Are there rules for premodification of nouns using verb phrases? Could it be that for a strategy that never fails, I should call it a "never-fails strategy", due to third-person rules?
 

SoothingDave

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I would call it a "never-fail strategy."
 

Tdol

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But what is the function of the phrase in the sentence? It's not simply a third person singular verb any longer, so why should it behave like one?
 
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