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Should I put a hyphen in self-storage or not?
QUESTION:Should I put a hyphen in self-storage or not? Self-storage companies
on the web seem to use it or not as they see fit but what is the
correct form?
ANSWER: -Use the hyphen when "self storage" is an adjective before a noun:
Self-storage company otherwise not:
Self storage is an advantage of retractable testicles.
The system was self storage.
If "self storage" is part of a brand name, then it's up to the company whether
to use a hyphen or not, because the name will be used in all parts of speech
and sentence positions.
-I'd use a hyphen at all times. Two reasons: (1) The inevitable
drift in compounds is from separation to hyphen to full joinder.
This particular one is far enough along that hyphenation is fully
natural and should be encouraged. (2) Many "self-" compounds don't
concern the "self" in quite the way that might be expected. Thus,
in "furniture storage" the furniture is stored, and in "cold
storage" cold things are stored. But the self in "self-storage"
isn't stored. Rather, the speaker is storing other things. The
hyphen helps the reader realize this a nanosecond earlier.
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