Writing Tips
http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Institutional Links
-
Translation Bureau
Language Portal of Canada
-
TERMIUM Plus®
-
Index L
- labio-
- labor
- Labor Day
- laborious
- labour
- labour at
- Labour Day
- labour for
- labour over
- labour toward
- labour under
- Lac Brome
- Lac-Brome
- laconic
- laconically
- La Coulée
- lacto-
- laden
- laisser-aller
- laisser-faire
- laisser-passer
- laissez-aller
- laissez-faire
- laissez-passer
- Lakehead
- Lake on the Mountain
- laker
- lama
- landed immigrant
- landlady
- landlord
- language of flowers
- lano-
- Lansdowne
- Laplander
- Lapp
- larger than life
- lase
- laser
- last (1)
- last (2)
- last post
- latest
- Latin terms and abbreviations
- latte
- latter
- laud
- laudable
- laudatory
- Laurentian Mountains
- law
- lay
- lay the blame for
- lay the blame on
- lea
- leach
- lead
- lean
- leaned
- leant
- leap
- leaped
- leapt
- learn
- least
- led
- lee
- leech
- left-justified margins
- legible
- legion
- Legion
- legionnaire
- Legionnaires’ disease
- Legislative Assembly
- legislature
- legitimate
- legume
- lend
- lent
- Les Éboulements
- less (1)
- less (2)
- lesser
- lessor
- levy
- levy against
- levy on
- levy upon
- liable
- liable for
- liable to
- liaise
- liaison
- licence
- license
- lie
- lieutenant-governor
- lighted
- lighten
- lightening
- lightning
- like
- likely
- limited number of
- lines
- lingui-
- linking verbs
- link to
- link up with
- link with
- Lions Club
- Lions Gate Bridge
- lit
- litany
- liter
- literally
- litre
- livable
- liveable
- live by
- live off
- live on
- llama
- L (litre)
- loaded
- loan
- loaned
- loath
- loathe
- loathing
- loathsome
- locate
- loco-
- lodge a complaint
- logic: appeal to tradition
- logic: biased or suppressed data
- logic: false appeal to authority
- long litany
- look after
- look for
- look into
- look over
- loonie
- loose
- lose
- Loyalist City
- Lt.-Gov.
- luck in
- luck out
- Luso-
- luster
- lustre
- luxe
- luxuriant
- luxurious
- luxury
- lynx
- lynxes
Proactive Disclosure
Important notice
Writing Tips has been archived and won’t be updated before it is permanently deleted.
For the most up-to-date content, please consult Writing Tips Plus, which combines content from Writing Tips and The Canadian Style. And don’t forget to update your bookmarks!
Search and Functionalities Area
larger than life
Use hyphens in phrases made up of three words or more when the phrases are used as adjectives before a noun (attributive adjectives).
- Her larger-than-life personality contributed to her success as an actor.
However, do not use hyphens when the phrases are placed after the word they are describing.
- Tourists in Florence are often surprised to find that Michelangelo’s David is so much larger than life.
© Public Services and Procurement Canada, 2025
TERMIUM Plus®, the Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank
Writing tools – Writing Tips
A product of the Translation Bureau
