Common Grammar Mistakes: Missing Hyphen in '30 Carat Gold'

One common grammar mistake that often goes unnoticed is the missing hyphen in phrases like '30 carat gold'.

A hyphen is necessary in cases where the phrase is used to describe the unit of fineness, such as gold or diamonds. Without the hyphen, it can create confusion or ambiguity in the meaning.

Here are a couple of examples to illustrate the correct usage:

• Incorrect: I bought a 30 carat gold necklace.
• Correct: I bought a 30-carat gold necklace.

In the incorrect example, the absence of the hyphen makes it unclear whether '30' is referring to the quantity of gold or some other attribute of the necklace.

The correct usage is to add a hyphen between the number and the unit of fineness, as shown in the second example. This makes it clear that '30' refers to the carat measurement of the gold, not some other characteristic of the necklace.

To avoid this common mistake, always remember to include a hyphen when using phrases like '30 carat gold' to ensure clarity and accuracy.

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