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Compound Adjectives Accessible March 2019

The document explains the rules for using compound adjectives, emphasizing that hyphens are used when the adjectives precede a noun but not when they follow it. It also outlines exceptions to these rules, such as when proper nouns are involved or in comparative forms. Additionally, it highlights how hyphens can prevent confusion in certain phrases.

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15 views1 page

Compound Adjectives Accessible March 2019

The document explains the rules for using compound adjectives, emphasizing that hyphens are used when the adjectives precede a noun but not when they follow it. It also outlines exceptions to these rules, such as when proper nouns are involved or in comparative forms. Additionally, it highlights how hyphens can prevent confusion in certain phrases.

Uploaded by

Onwe Benjamin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Writing & Language Development Center

Compound adjectives
When we use two words together to create a single modifier, we create compound adjectives that are sometimes, but not
always, hyphenated.

Before the noun, use a hyphen


Join compound adjectives with hyphens when you use them before the noun. (Note that twelve-year-old does not use an s):

She wrote an eight-page essay. We took a fast-moving train to Santa Barbara.


Sandra is looking for a part-time job. It was a well-developed research paper.
The twelve-year-old boy is a skateboard champ. He’s taking a much-needed vacation.

After the noun, do not use a hyphen


Do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun. Notice, in this case, the s on twelve years old and
on eight pages long:

Her essay was eight pages long. The train to Santa Barbara was fast moving.
Sandra’s job is part time. Her research paper was well developed.
The skateboard champ is twelve years old. His vacation was much needed.

Exceptions to the rule


If the compound contains a proper noun, do not use a hyphen even if it does come before the noun. If the adjective is
composed of two nouns, do not use a hyphen. And never use a hyphen with a comparative (-er) or superlative (-est) or to
join an –ly adverb to an adjective.

Containing proper nouns: Have you bought the State Radio concert tickets yet?
Two nouns: They met at the Friday night dance.
In comparisons: This is a better looking rosebush.
ly-adverb + adjective: It’s an easily understood process.

Preventing confusion
Sometimes the hyphen also prevents confusion, as in the following examples:

Expression Explanation
Four year-old boys: There are four boys. They are each a year old.
Four-year-old boys: There are several boys. They are each four years old.
Dirty-book burners: Several people are burning “dirty” books.
Dirty book burners: Several unwashed people are burning books.
Greek-language scholar: He is a scholar who studies the Greek language.
Greek language scholar: He is Greek, and he studies languages.

Compound adjectives sometimes “lose” their hyphens over time, becoming a single word (eye-catching becomes
eyecatching, for example), so the only way to know for sure is to look the word up in a dictionary.

Contributed by Rosemary McKeever

This Yuba College Writing & Language Development Center Tip Sheet is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-
NonCommercial 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0

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