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Chicago says that if there is no ambiguity, just leave out the hyphens.
I don't see any potential for ambiguity; that said, perhaps you do see
something I'm missing. In that case, use hyphens (not en dashes) and
punctuate it low-color-depth monitor.
Here is where you use an en dash:
pre[en dash]World War II
non[en dash]Microsoft Office application
Get it? You use it to separate a prefix from a phrase (rather than a
single word).
The other use of an en dash is to replace a preposition, such as "to,"
or other particle; for example:
9[en dash]5, 30[en dash]31 May
With a space on either side of an en dash, it can be substituted for an
em dash (standard behavior in Word), although only a few major
publishers use this style.
Used in a mathematical expression, space-en dash-space can be
substituted for a true minus sign.
HTH,
Dick
Brenda Reynolds wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> I need your insight on these words and whether adding en dashes is correct.
> The MS Manual of Style basically says that an en dash, not a hyphen, should
> be used for compound adjectives.
>
> Here they are: low color depth monitor
>
> "Low color depth" seems like a compound adjective to me, and together they
> modify "monitor." So would it be "low-color-depth monitor" or "low-color
> depth monitor?" The former seems right to me .....
>
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