more question about money
I just asked a question several hours ago ,to avoid any misunderstanding,I attached full context as below so that I just what to know if two of phrases in the context " fifty pence" should be both changed to "fifty-pence piece" ,I marked it with (A) and (B)
(British Friend Michael already replied me about that question ,thank you so much Michael ,but I only gave two sentences in that question instead of full context ,so I need to ask it again: the context is from very famous book NEW CONCEPT ENGLISH ):Here please find the context:
My nephew, George, has a money box but it is always empty. Very few of the fifty pence pieces and pound coins I have given him have found their way there. I gave him ( A) fifty pence yesterday and advised him to save it. Instead he bought himself fifty pence worth of trouble. On his way to the sweet shop, he dropped his (B) fifty pence and it bounced along the pavement and then disappeared down a drain. George took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and pushed is right arm through the drain cover. He could not find his fifty pence piece anywhere, and what is more, he could no get his arm out .
Thank you for your patience
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 6
0
Hello again!
Both of those uses of 'fifty pence ' sound OK as they are. I don't think you need to change them. Even in the case of B, where it's clearly referring to a single coin, it's acceptable to say 'fifty pence'. Only a real nit-picker (which is different from a penny-pincher!) would insist on your saying 'fifty-pence piece' here.
0
With due respect to Su.Ki, I would like to mention that there is a grammar structure called a compound adjective, which consists of two or more words that are treated as a "single" adjective. The rule for compound adjectives is to hyphenate them and to use the singular form. Here are some examples:
A four-legged animal
A 30-minute trip
A 25-cent piece
A two-and-a-half-hour trip
A stick-in-the-mud personality
A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step (rephrased to fit this topic).
A 25-cent piece is not a "25 piece" nor is it a "cent piece"; it is a '25-cent' piece. That's why I prefer to use the hyphen. It seems more correct to me.
Still haven’t found your answers?
Write down your questions and let the native speakers help you!
Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!
Start Learning Today
