{"id":"PUN-013","name":"Hyphenate ambiguity-prone compound modifiers","domain":"punctuation","layer":"phrase","strength":"context_default","human_logic":"IF multiple words jointly modify a following noun AND grouping is not immediately clear, THEN hyphenate the compound ELSE omit unnecessary hyphens.","when":{"all":[{"path":"modifier.position","operator":"eq","value":"before_noun"},{"path":"modifier.word_count","operator":"gte","value":2},{"path":"modifier.grouping_ambiguous","operator":"eq","value":true}]},"then":[{"action":"insert","target":"modifier.internal_separator","value":"-"}],"else":[{"action":"delete","target":"modifier.unnecessary_hyphen","when":"standard_open_or_adverb_ly_pattern"}],"unless":[],"because":"Hyphens can show which words operate as one modifier.","diagnostics":[],"examples":{},"source_ids":["BK-003","BK-007","BK-039"],"laka":{"smallest_sufficient_intervention":true,"primary_axes":["scope","depth","magnitude","reversibility"]},"requires_facts":["modifier.position","modifier.word_count","modifier.grouping_ambiguous"],"tests":[],"sources":[{"id":"BK-003","title":"Garner's Modern English Usage","creator":"Bryan A. Garner","domain":"usage_reference","type":"Book","note":"Modern American usage and editorial judgment.","url":null},{"id":"BK-007","title":"The Copyeditor's Handbook","creator":"Amy Einsohn; Marilyn Schwartz","domain":"copyediting","type":"Book","note":"Professional copyediting practice, grammar, and editorial process.","url":null},{"id":"BK-039","title":"The Chicago Manual of Style","creator":"The University of Chicago Press Editorial Staff","domain":"editorial_style","type":"Book","note":"Comprehensive editorial style, grammar, documentation, and publishing.","url":null}],"defined_in":{"file":"08-punctuation-rules.json","title":"Punctuation as Meaning and Boundary","slug":"punctuation-rules"}}