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Correct hyphenation for "Lords a-leaping", etc.?

Forums: English, Grammar, Esl, Punctuation
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sospidera
 
Reply Tue 20 Aug, 2013 10:11 am
Is there a correct hyphen placement for phrases like these? Also, is there some archaic meaning to this kind of phrasing, or is it mostly poetic licence?
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contrex
 
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Reply Tue 20 Aug, 2013 10:35 am
The use of the prefix a- before the progressive aspect of a verb (i.e. with the 'ing' ending) is archaic and seldom seen except in poetry. The hyphen comes after the a and before the verb. The a- can be deleted without any change in meaning.

a-leaping a-jumping a-crying a-dying

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