a group of 20–25-year-olds

[swansong]

Are these possible in terms of punctuation (Note the en dash between the numbers and the hyphens in the compound modifiers.) This method certainly bypasses the ugly suspended hyphenation. No recasts, please.


a group of 20–25-year-olds


a group of 20–25-year-old girls


a 10–20-pound weight


a 5–10-degree temperature swing


a $10–20 million-a-year position (no $ sign before 20?)


a $90,000–100,000-a-year job
(no dollar sign before 100,000?)


Thank you.

 

[Raymott]

Yes, they are possible. I don't like them much, and would not use them. I can't remember ever having seen that type of punctuation. Do you have any examples from serious sources?
You need a dollar sign before 100,000.

 

[swansong]

Thanks, Raymott.

No, I don't have any examples from serious sources. Shouldn't there be a dollar sign before $20 million, too?

 

[Raymott]

Yes, there should be.

 

[Barb_D]

I agree except for the need for the repeated $.
When not dealing with such ugly punctuation, it's just $10–20 million not $10–$20 million.

I never understand being told that the sentence can't be recast. Of course it can.

 

[swansong]

Thanks, all.

I emailed the same examples to Bryan Garner yesterday. He just replied and said they're all correct (with the combo of en dashes and hyphens). He also said we do not have to repeat the $ symbol before the second figure.

 

[Raymott]

I never understand being told that the sentence can't be recast. Of course it can.

From feedback that I have got, many times when people have asked if something is right or wrong, they end up with numerous recasts of their sentences, but no opinions about whether the originals were right or wrong. The OP wasn't claiming that the sentences couldn't be recast, but was asking that they not be, perhaps in the hope that the actual question would be answered, as it has been.