Adjectives are used to modify nouns or pronouns in a sentence. There are many different types of adjectives; each one has a slightly different purpose. Sometimes, adjectives may even be made up of more than one word. These types of adjectives are known as compound adjectives.
Compound adjectives are a type of neologism - referring to the coining and creation of new words. They are formed by combining two or more words together.
Compound adjectives: definition
What are compound adjectives? Take a look at the definition below:
Compound adjectives are adjectives made up of more than one word (usually two, but sometimes three). They are used to modify the noun or pronoun in a sentence, so they have the same function as single-word adjectives.
Compound adjectives do not have to be made up of only adjectives; other word forms can combine to form compound adjectives (such as nouns and adjectives, adverbs and past participles, etc.).
The word "single-word" is an example of a compound adjective!
Fig. 1 - Snow could be described as "ice-cold." This is an example of a compound adjective.
Compound adjectives: rules
Compound adjectives are used to modify nouns or pronouns. They can be placed before the noun/pronoun in a sentence. For example:
"My long-term goal is to stay happy."
In this sentence, the compound adjective "long-term" is used to modify the noun "goal."
Alternatively, they can also come after the noun/pronoun. For example:
"This playground is child-safe."
In this sentence, the compound adjective "child-safe" is used to modify the noun "playground."
Compound adjectives: using the hyphen
Compound adjectives often use hyphens to let the reader know they should be read as one unit instead of two different words. In particular, compound adjectives are usually hyphenated when they come before a noun or pronoun in a sentence. For example:
"I'm baking a gluten-free cake."
However, compound adjectives do not always need to be hyphenated if their meaning is still clear without one. They're usually not hyphenated when they come after a noun or pronoun. For example:
"This cake is gluten-free" VS. "This cake is gluten free."
Both of these sentences can be understood regardless of the use of a hyphen.
Keep in mind that when using hyphens, it is often a matter of personal preference. But, in some instances, it is easier to hyphenate compound adjectives if the meaning could be misunderstood. These misunderstandings may be more common among non-native speakers of English, as they may mistake a compound adjective for two separate words, which can change the meaning of a sentence.
Take the sentence, "I saw a fish eating bear."
Without the hyphen, it could seem as though the fish is eating a bear.
When a hyphen is used, the meaning of the sentence is made clearer:
"I saw a fish-eating bear."
It is clear that the sentence is referring to a bear that eats fish.
Compound adjective: examples
There are different types of compound adjectives made with words from different word classes. It is important to know that just because they are called compound adjectives, this does not mean they only contain adjectives.
Three-word compound adjectives with hyphens
Although they are not as common, some compound adjectives contain three words. In this case, the conjunctions "and" or "of" are usually used between two other words. All three words must be hyphenated to show they are one unit of meaning instead of three separate words. For example:
| Three-word compound adjective | Example sentence |
| Matter-of-fact | "She spoke in a matter-of-fact way about politics." |
| Salt-and-pepper | "His salt-and-pepper hair was attractive." |
| Happy-go-lucky | "He's a happy-go-lucky person." |
It is worth mentioning that compound adjectives are not the only type of compound word. For example, another type of compound word is a compound noun.
Compound nouns function as nouns in a sentence and are made up of two or more words. A few examples are:
- bedroom
- raincoat
- toothpaste
Compound nouns are often written as one word without hyphens (but not always).
Compound Adjectives - Key takeaways
- Compound adjectives are adjectives made up of more than one word (usually two, sometimes three).
- Compound adjectives are used to modify the noun or pronoun in a sentence.
- Compound adjectives can comprise different word classes. Some different types of compound adjectives are:
- adjective + noun, adjective + present participle, adjective + past participle
- noun + adjective, noun + present participle, noun + past participle
- adverb + past participle
- number + noun
- Compound adjectives often use hyphens (especially if they come before the noun), as this lets the reader know that they are a single unit of meaning and not two separate words. Hyphens are not always needed and often aren't used when the compound adjective comes after the noun.
- Although not as common, compound adjectives can also consist of three words. Three-word compound adjectives always use hyphens.
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