Master compound adjectives in IT: open-source, cloud-native, data-driven, event-driven, real-time, container-based, microservice-oriented. Learn hyphenation rules for technical writing.
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Which sentence uses hyphenation correctly for the compound adjective 'real time'?
The core hyphenation rule: hyphenate a compound adjective BEFORE a noun (attributive position) but NOT after a linking verb (predicative position). 'Real-time dashboard' (before noun) = hyphenated. 'The processing is real time' (after 'is') = no hyphen. Option A incorrectly hyphenates the predicative phrase 'in real time'. Option B incorrectly omits the hyphen before the noun.
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A job posting reads: 'We are building a cloud native platform using container based microservices.' How should the compound adjectives be written?
Both 'cloud-native' and 'container-based' are compound adjectives modifying nouns (platform, microservices), so both require hyphens in attributive position. The pattern [noun/adjective]-[past participle or adjective] always hyphenates before a noun: cloud-native, container-based, event-driven, data-driven, microservice-oriented, API-first, open-source.
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Which of the following compound adjectives follows the '-driven' pattern correctly in an IT context?
'Data-driven' follows the [noun]-[past participle] compound adjective pattern, hyphenated when used before a noun. The same pattern: event-driven, domain-driven (DDD), test-driven (TDD), behavior-driven (BDD), AI-driven, metric-driven. Note: 'driven' here is a past participle functioning as an adjective, not a verb form. The hyphen is mandatory in attributive position per Chicago Manual of Style.
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A developer writes: 'We are adopting an open source first strategy.' What is the correct form?
When multiple words form a single compound modifier before a noun, all components are typically hyphenated: open-source-first. This creates a 'suspended hyphen' chain. Similarly: cloud-native-first, API-first, mobile-first, security-first. Without hyphens, the reader might parse 'open source' and 'first strategy' as separate units, causing ambiguity. Note: 'open-source' alone is an established compound that many style guides treat as always hyphenated.
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Which statement correctly explains when to write 'microservice-oriented' versus 'microservice oriented'?
The standard rule applies: hyphenate compound adjectives in attributive position (before the noun they modify) but not in predicative position (after a linking verb). 'Microservice-oriented architecture' (hyphen before 'architecture'). 'The architecture is microservice oriented' (no hyphen after 'is'). This mirrors the same rule for service-oriented, object-oriented, and aspect-oriented — all foundational IT compound adjectives.