What Is a Compound Adjective

A compound adjective is made up of two or more words (such as part-time  and  high-speed) that act as a single idea to modify a noun (a part-time employee, a high-speed chase). Also called a  phrasal adjective or a  compound modifier. As a general rule, the words in a compound adjective are hyphenated when they come before a noun (a well-known actor) but not when they come after (The actor is well known). Also, compound adjectives formed with an adverb ending in -ly (such as rapidly changing) are usually not hyphenated. Examples and Observations You know, everybody thinks we found this broken-down horse and fixed him, but we didnt. He fixed us.If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.The general was meeting someone for dinner at an out-of-the-way restaurant, not in the suburb of Nanterre, but close by.A well-developed sense of humor is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life.​  (William Arthur Ward) Hyphenation With Compound Adjectives Interestingly, hyphenation is also used creatively to indicate that an idea that would normally be expressed by a phrase is being treated as a single word for communicative purposes because it has crystallized in the writers mind into a firm, single concept. Thus, for example, the expression simple to serve is normally a phrase, just like easy to control. But it can also be used as a hyphenated word as in simple-to-serve recipe dishes... (MS Magazine 1992) Adverbs that do not end in -ly may take the hyphen to form a compound adjective. The reason is obvious. A fast-moving script suggests a roller-coaster plot while a fast-moving script might have pace but it is emotionally charged (i.e., emotionally moving) at the same time. ​​The Lighter Side of Compound Adjectives: Laser-Focused Will somebody explain to me why every focus is now laser-focused? Lasers can guide, ignite, heat, drive, and print, but focus? This is the hottest compound adjective around today, leaving all other focuses fuzzy. In Enrons 2000 annual report, the company claimed to be laser-focused on earnings per share, at which point I should have become suspicious. Also Known As Phrasal adjective, unit modifier, compound modifier Sources Seabiscuit, 2003Stephen Fry as General Melchett in Private Plane.  Blackadder Goes Forth, 1989Robert Ludlum,  The Bourne Identity. Richard Marek Publishers, 1980Bruce Grundy,  So You Want to be a Journalist?  Cambridge University Press, 2007William Safire,  The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time. Simon Schuster, 2004