Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor
"10-minute" vs "10 minutes" are both the same amount of time, so what's the difference between them? The simple answer? The former is an adjective and the latter is a noun. Look at the examples below:
It takes 10 minutes to walk from home to school. (10 minutes is an amount of time)
I have a 10-minute walk from home to school. (10-minute describes the amount of time)
Notice that "minute" takes the plural form as a noun, but not as an adjective. The same applies for any measurement of time:
The Detroit Red Wings ended their 42-year championship drought when they won the Stanley Cup in 1997.
After 42 years without a championship, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997.
Our flight experienced a two-hour delay due to poor weather conditions.
Our flight delayed for two hours due to poor weather conditions.
It takes 10 minutes to walk from home to school. (10 minutes is an amount of time)
I have a 10-minute walk from home to school. (10-minute describes the amount of time)
Notice that "minute" takes the plural form as a noun, but not as an adjective. The same applies for any measurement of time:
The Detroit Red Wings ended their 42-year championship drought when they won the Stanley Cup in 1997.
After 42 years without a championship, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997.
Our flight experienced a two-hour delay due to poor weather conditions.
Our flight delayed for two hours due to poor weather conditions.
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