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Zum Wegwerfen ist es zu schade!

… is a clear case, since "zum" has to be followed by a noun, which then has to be capitalised.

But what about …

Zum vergammeln lassen ist es zu schade!

What's the correct capitalisation and hyphenation (if any) for a nominalised compound word like this?

n.st
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1 Answers1

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According to § 37 (2) of the official spelling rules, multi-part nominalizations are generally written as one word (which, being a noun, is then capitalized as usual):

Zum Vergammelnlassen ist es zu schade.

In more complex compounds, hyphens are used to separate the parts (§ 43):

Zum In-den-Mülleimer-Werfen ist es zu schade.

In these cases, the first word, the infinitive itself, and any noun parts are to be capitalized, as regulated in § 57 (2).

chirlu
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    BTW: a web version of the official rules is available at http://www.canoo.net/services/GermanSpelling/Amtlich/index.html . – Matthias Jan 24 '16 at 22:17