Should compound adjectives be hyphenated?

Attributive compound adjectives are hyphenated. Never hyphenate compounds including an adverb (generally, a word ending in ‘ly’), whether attributive or predicative. ‘carefully laid plans’ not ‘carefully-laid plans’. ‘The acting, direction, script and plot were terrible, but at least the wardrobe was high quality.

What is a hyphenated compound adjective examples?

A compound adjective is an adjective that is made up of multiple individual words. Usually, the words are connected by a hyphen or hyphens when used as an adjective. Words like absent-minded and happy-go-lucky are examples of compound adjectives.

What is the rule for hyphenated compound words?

Hyphenated Compound Words One important rule of thumb to remember is that in most cases, a compound adjective is hyphenated if placed before the noun it modifies, but not if placed after the noun.

Do compound adjectives have permanent hyphenation?

But compound adjectives composed of foreign words are not hyphenated when placed before a noun unless they are always hyphenated (“per diem expenses,” “the a cappella chorus,” but “a ci-devant professor”). Also, chemical names used as modifiers before a noun are not hyphenated (“a citric acid solution”).

What are hyphenated adjectives?

Posted March 6, 2018 by constant-content in Grammar. Combinations of adjectives should be hyphenated. This is known as hyphenated adjective (or compound adjective) and while they may seem odd, are in fact proper punctuation. For example: easy-to-read content.

How do you use hyphenated adjectives?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they’re describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It’s impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.

Do you hyphenate compound adjectives after the noun?

Generally, hyphenate two or more words when they come before a noun they modify and act as a single idea. This is called a compound adjective. When a compound adjective follows a noun, a hyphen is usually not necessary. Example: The apartment is off campus.

Do you hyphenate an adverb and adjective?

When a hyphen connects an adverb and an adjective (e.g. well-dressed), it is known as a compound modifier. Compound modifiers describe the noun that follows with greater precision. But hyphens don’t always come after an adverb and adjective. When the adverb ends in -ly, it needs no hyphen (e.g. highly regarded).

What is a hyphenated adjective called?

A compound modifier (also called a compound adjective, phrasal adjective, or adjectival phrase) is a compound of two or more attributive words: that is, two or more words that collectively modify a noun.