1. A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives work together to modify the same noun. These terms should be hyphenated to avoid confusion or ambiguity.
Incorrect: The black and blue mark suggested that he had been involved in an altercation.
Correct: The black-and-blue mark suggested that he had been involved in an altercation.
Incorrect: Her fifteen minute presentation proved decisive to the outcome of the case.
Correct: Her fifteen-minute presentation proved decisive to the outcome of the case.
2. However, combining an adverb (usually a word ending in "ly") and an adjective does not create a compound adjective. No hyphen is required because it is already clear that the adverb modifies the adjective rather than the subsequent noun.
Incorrect: The remarkably-hot day turned into a remarkably-long week.
Correct: The remarkably hot day turned into a remarkably long week.
3. Furthermore, you should not place a hyphen in a compound adjective if the adjectives are capitalized, such as when they are part of a title.
Correct: His book was entitled, "Gender Neutral Language in English Usage," and it revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.
However: His book on gender-neutral language revolutionized the way people think about sex roles.
Correct: The students were participants in Chicago-Kent's vaunted Legal Research and Writing Program.
Tongue-tied
Animal-loving
Money-grabbing
Light-fingered
Football-mad
Clean-shaved
Examples of Compound Adjectives are:
The 10-foot Basketball goal broke. <--- 10-foot is the Adjective.
The blue-eyed baby was cute. <--- Blue-eyed is the Adjective.
John was a highly-strung but well-liked under-achiever, though he was over-sensitive about tongue-in-cheek remarks.
Yes, "self-conscious" is a hyphenated adjective. The two words do not separately modify the subject.
The US elected official is the Vice President, without a hyphen. Both hyphenated and unhyphenated variants exist for similar business positions. The hyphen is more often seen in the adjective form vice-presidential.
It is acceptable to spell "nonviolence" both with and without a hyphen.
There is no opposite per se for the word hyphen. Since it is used to connect a compound word, divide could be a stretch for the opposite.A:When dealing with compound words (such as higher-up) the opposite of a hyphen is a space. When the hyphen is used to break a word into parts (as might be found at the end of a line) its opposite would be an unbroken word.
Cross-contamination is acompound modifier which is defined as two words connected by a hyphen, which forms a single adjective. Because when the words stand on their own have different meanings, the hyphen is used to form one word with a single definition. "Cross" can be used as a verb, noun, or as an adjective. Therefore, a hyphen is used in cross-contamination to clarify its meaning.
Compound adjectives are formed when you use two or more adjectives that are joined together with a hyphen to modify the same noun. She had a three-year-old cat is an example of a compound adjective in a sentence.
When used as an adjective compound, "out of the box" should be hyphenated. Example, "The out-of-the-box themes are very easy to use."
A compound word
No. The term "biggest" has no hyphen. The slang compound adjective "biggest-ever" would.
A compound adjective is a single adjective made up of more than one word (e.g., ten-seater bus , free-range eggs). The words in a compound adjective are often linked together with a hyphen (or hyphens) to show they are part of the same adjective.
Always. ----- It's a compound adjective, a sort of "in situ" (Lat.). When the words are not connected, there is no hyphen.
Always. ----- It's a compound adjective, a sort of "in situ" (Lat.). When the words are not connected, there is no hyphen.
Yes. "Hard-working" is a compound adjective, and therefore requires a hyphen between the two words. It is also correct to omit the hyphen and use the single word, "hardworking."
No hyphen is needed for world class. World is just an adjective that describes class much like (for example) upper class, which also does not need a hyphen.
Because it is a compound adjective used to modify a noun. You're indicating that "the component words have a combined meaning."
Yes, "self-conscious" is a hyphenated adjective. The two words do not separately modify the subject.
Several sources now list the compound (gerund) form without the hyphen (perhaps the evolving use of previously improper language). However, as an adjective it is still usually hyphenated for clarity. NOTE : Spell Check does not agree. Example: "His decision making was criticized in the press." Example: "The legislators examined the mayor's decision-making authority."