Compound modifier
A compound modifier (also called a compound adjective, phrasal adjective, or
The constituents of compound modifiers need not be adjectives; combinations of
Compound adjectives
Words that function as compound
Note that whether a word sequence such as "heavy + metal + detector" implies a compound adjective + noun or bare adjective + compound noun depends on the punctuation. For instance, heavy-metal detector and heavy metal detector can refer to quite different things: heavy-metal
A strategy to avoid conflation of compound adjective + noun versus bare adjective + compound noun sequences is to clearly distinguish the usage of an attributive adjective and a noun adjunct. Accordingly, the phrase heavy metallic detector unequivocally employs a compound adjective to describe a weighty detector made of metal.
Hyphenation of elements in English
Conventionally, and with the support of modern writing guides, compound modifiers that appear before a noun phrase should include a hyphen between each word, subject to certain exceptions. Hyphens are used in this way to prevent confusion; without their use, a reader might interpret the words separately, rather than as a phrase. Hyphens join the relevant words into a single idea, a compound adjective.
A compound modifier that is spaced rather than hyphenated is referred to as an open compound.[2]
When a numeral and a noun are used in a compound modifier that precedes a noun, the noun takes the singular form. For example, the 2021 Belmont Stakes was a "12-furlong race" and an "eight-horse race", but not a "12-furlongs race" or an "eight-horses race".
Exceptions
Major style guides advise consulting a dictionary to determine whether a compound adjective should be hyphenated; compounds entered as dictionary
It may be appropriate to distinguish between compound modifiers whose adverb has the
Other adverbs (such as well) can commonly be used as adjectives; these adverbs without the -ly suffix therefore commonly take a hyphen. For example, one could speak of a well-known actress or a little-known actress. If the compound modifier that would otherwise be hyphenated is changed to a post-modifier—one which is located after the modified noun phrase—then the hyphen is conventionally not necessary: the actress is well known.
Finally, the word very in a compound modifier is generally not accompanied by a hyphen.[11] Where both (or all) of the words in a compound modifier are nouns, it is seen as not necessary to hyphenate them, as misunderstanding is unlikely.[12]
Examples
- Man-eating shark(as opposed to man eating shark, which could be interpreted as a man eating the meat of a shark)
- Wild-goose chase (as opposed to wild goose chase, which could be interpreted as a goose chase that is wild)
- Long-term contract (as opposed to long term contract, which could be interpreted as a long contract about a term)
- Zero-liability protection (as opposed to zero liability protection, which could be interpreted as there being no liability protection)
- College-football-halftime controversy (as opposed to college-football halftime controversy, a controversy occurring during the halftime of a college-football match)[13]
Examples using an en dash for attributive compounds
An en dash may be used for attributive compounds to enhance readability and eliminate ambiguity.
- Pulitzer Prize–winning novel
- New York–style pizza
- The non–San Francisco part of the world
- The post–World War II era
- Pre–Civil War era
Other languages
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Hungarian
Hungarian orthography describes three types of this modification in spelling, as described in the main article.
Japanese
Japanese adjectives can compound. This is quite common for
See also
- Adjectival phrase
- Compound verb
- English compound
References
- ^ Shrives, Craig. "Hyphens in compound adjectives". www.grammar-monster.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
- ^ Kramer, Lindsay (August 18, 2021). "What Are Compound Adjectives?". Grammarly.
- ISBN 978-1-4338-0559-2.
Hyphenation. Compound words take many forms. [...] The dictionary is an excellent guide for such decisions. [...] When a compound can be found in the dictionary, its usage is established and it is known as a permanent compound.
- ISBN 978-0-226-10420-1.
In general, Chicago prefers a spare hyphenation style: if no suitable example or analogy can be found either in this section or in the dictionary, hyphenate only if doing so will aid readability
- ISBN 978-0-87779-622-0.
Permanent compound adjectives are usually written as they appear in the dictionary even when they follow the noun they modify
- ISBN 978-0-226-10420-1.
Where no ambiguity could result, as in public welfare administration or graduate student housing, hyphenation is unnecessary
- ISBN 9780199570027.
a compound expression preceding the noun is generally hyphenated when it forms a unit modifying the noun
- ^ Hyphens – Punctuation Rules, GrammarBook.com
- ^ Guardian and Observer Style Guide (see section on adverbs)
- ^ "Spelling and Hyphenation". Northeastern University Guidelines. Northeastern University. Retrieved March 25, 2011.
- ^ Compound Modifiers, DailyWritingTips.com
- ^ Compound Modifiers, Writing.com
- ^ This example was taken from The Chicago Manual of Style, to show how "when a compound noun is an element of a phrasal adjective, the entire compound noun must be hyphenated to clarify the relationship among the words." See: The Chicago Manual of Style (fifteenth ed.). 2003.
- The Chicago Manual of Style, 15th ed. 2003, Clause 5.92, p. 171
- The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. (1992)
Further reading
- Compound Adjectives and Hyphenation, Writing Center at Concordia University in St. Paul
External links
- Compound Modifiers at writing.com