Re: double-click or double click

["Wyrwas, Kathleen A" <Kathleen -dot- Wyrwas -at- UNISYS -dot- COM>]

Oh no!!  Please don't go quoting "Kathy's rule"!!!    It certainly
doesn't apply to all cases, just *specific* compounds (that I noticed
usually ending in -in, -off, -on, or -up) where, per the dictionary, in
one form they are a verb and one form they are a noun!   If you don't
find both or either form in your favorite dictionary (such as Webster's
9th New Collegiate), please refer to your favorite grammar book for help
with the given context of your troublesome word or phrase.  (I'm
definitely NOT a grammar expert or even an English major - I just turn
to good reference books when I need advice!)

So after reading through several pages from my favorite grammar guide
about hyphenating vs. not, and one word vs. two, I concur with Rikki
that "pick list" should remain two words.

As for the original "double-click vs. double click" issue, I tend to
want to use the hyphen in all cases.  Unfortunately, my grammar book
doesn't have much detail on this as it relates to verbs.  Yes, the
phrase describes an action.  Yes, "double" describes the action, but
does that make it an adverb?  I don't think so, because (a) it doesn't
really modify the original click and (b) an adverb usually *follows* the
verb.  A click and a double-click are different actions.   Besides,
putting in the hyphen starts to "look" pretty appropriate when you write
out other verb tenses:  she double-clicked on the icon; he was
double-clicking icons all day; etc.   This is all IMHO, of course.  You
should follow your company's style guide, or if you don't have one, find
one that everyone you work with will respect as the definitive source.

Before we start discussing any more grammar rules, please remember that
there are way too many rules and exceptions to rules, and exceptions to
exceptions, in our wonderful language (try teaching a non-reading adult
to read, and you'll quickly learn this!) to discuss every nuance here.
And this probably isn't even an appropriate forum for such a topic - is
there a grammar listserv somewhere??!!

Regards,
Kathy
kathleen -dot- wyrwas -at- unisys -dot- com
-----------
>From:  Mitman, Rikki[SMTP:Rikki -dot- Mitman -at- COMPAQ -dot- COM]
>
>I have to disagree with that one. I don't think Kathy's comments mean
>that any two words can be strung together. And I certainly would not
>make pick list one word.

-----------
>>From:  Kathryn J Acciari [SMTP:acciari -at- ACSU -dot- BUFFALO -dot- EDU]
>>
>>Just want to express my Thanks! for your comments, which are
>>snipped below.  I've been grappling with the correct usage/spelling
>>of 'picklist.'  My word processor insists it should be two words,
>>but if I follow your rules, it is a noun and can therefore stay
>>as one word.  Now I can go back and tell my WP a few things.
>>
--------
From my (Kathy W.) original post:
>>> Another similar inconsistent usage I've noticed a lot (and is a personal
>>> pet peeve!) is "set up" vs. "setup"  (or "break up" vs. "breakup",
>>> etc.). The issue really comes down to people not understanding which is
>>> the verb and which is the noun.    A test that I've adopted to tell the
>>> difference is, can you put another word "in between" and still have it
>>> make sense?  If so, that's the verb.  If not, it's a noun.
>>
>
>

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