It turned out to be a very low-stress job.

Using compound adjectives that contain superlativesĪdditionally, compound adjectives that begin with superlatives always need hyphens when they’re used before the nouns they’re describing. Here’s an example of this type of compound adjective:

We ate a second-rate meal at the diner.īut when the number comes second in the compound adjective, it does not need a hyphen.

The insular culture retained twentieth-century sensibilities.

Usually, compound adjectives that contain numbers need hyphens.

The meat was undercooked, but the broccoli was perfect.

She bought an overstuffed ottoman for her living room.

When I saw him, he had that “running on empty” look in his eyes.Īnd here are a few closed compound adjectives in sentences:.

My sister and I are going to a dub reggae concert at the end of this month.

As a new lawyer, you should expect to perform pro bono work.

Here are a few examples of open compound adjectives in sentences: Certain compound adjectives don’t need hyphens, even if they come before a noun in a sentence. But like most grammar rules, this isn’t always the case. Unlike compound nouns, compound adjectives usually need hyphens. Does a compound adjective always need a hyphen? Any time two (or more!) words become a single term to describe a noun, they’re a compound adjective.

Tightly wound, overpopulated, undercookedĪs you can see, compound adjectives are defined by what they do, rather than what they contain. Second-place, nineteenth-century, four-wheelįrench-speaking, mouth-watering, self-effacing We realize that sounds a bit confusing, so this chart should explain it more clearly: Part of Speechįast-talking, Spanish-speaking, backward-facing Not every compound adjective contains two singular adjectives.

Take a look at these compound adjectives examples: Compound adjectives describe nouns (either regular nouns or compound nouns, for that matter). A compound word is any word that’s made up of two or more words, like:īoth of those examples are compound nouns, which are compound words that communicate a specific person, place, thing, or concept. Grammarly helps you communicate with confidence Write with Grammarly What are compound adjectives?Ĭompound adjectives are compound words that act as adjectives.

What is adjective in grammar