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English grammar and communications hints and tips
Is it long term or long-term?
Both forms exist; the difference between them (ie the use of the hyphen) is very important and applies to many other grammatical forms.
When talking about the ‘long term’, we are talking about the noun ‘term’ which is described by the adjective ‘long’.
However, where the entire phrase is used to describe something else, we must use the hyphen to show this. This is called a premodifying compound adjective.
Examples:
- We are planning for the long term.
- This is a long-term plan.
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