Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

How old am I?

Am I 38 years old, or 38 year old, and why.

Submit Your Comment

or fill in the name and email fields below:

Comments

How are me old

user107142 Aug-22-2018

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

Typcially, the hyphenation would be "38-year old man."
* 38-year modifies old
* old - which we already know is 38 - modifies man.

If you want to get dates online, though, it would be better to type "I am an 18-year old lesbian with hot, barely legal friends."

;)

anonymous4 Nov-25-2003

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

Biks is right about the hyphenation. The rule there is that "38-year-old" is a compound adjective -- a group of words functioning as a single adjective -- and therefore hyphenated. Other examples: a coke-bottle-shaped vase; a full-throttle spread-eagle spare-no-expense business presentation.

tnh Mar-17-2003

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

You would usually put hyphens in 'a 38-year-old man'. It's easier to differentiate that way. I think the AP style uses this.

biks Nov-21-2002

0 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

My take on it is:
You are a 38 year old man.
And.
You are 38 years old.
When "year old" is a modifier to "man", it's singular.

Dyske Nov-14-2002

1 vote   Permalink   Report Abuse

Do you have a question? Submit your question here