Compound modifier
Encyclopedia
A compound modifier is a compound
of two or more attributive
words: That is, more than one word that together modify a noun. Compound modifiers are grammatically equivalent to single-word modifiers, and can be used in conjunction with other modifiers.
Despite the common names "compound adjective" and "phrasal adjective", the constituent words need not be adjectives. Combinations of nouns
, determiners, and other parts of speech are common (man-eating and one-way).
The punctuation of compound modifiers in English depends on their grammatical role. Attributive
compounds – modifiers within the noun phrase
– are typically hyphenated, whereas the same compound used as a predicate
will typically not be.
s, like normal adjectives, modify noun phrases. Grammatically, there is no difference between hot metal and white-hot metal – the latter is a compound adjective because it is made of two words used in conjunction.
Note that not all sequences of adjectives (or other types of words) modifying a noun phrase are necessarily parts of one or more compound adjectives. White-hot metal and white hot metal refer to subtly different things: in the first, white modifies hot which modifies metal – it is this layering of modification which calls for the hyphenation in order to clarify the meaning, that the metal mentioned is very hot. In the second example, however, white and hot separately modify the noun – if one were to be removed, the other's relationship with the noun would be unchanged.
may include a hyphen
between each word, subject to a number of exceptions. Hyphens are used in this way to help prevent confusion; without their use, a reader might interpret the words separately, rather than as a phrase. One or more hyphens join the relevant words into a single idea.
-ly, such as quickly and badly, and those whose adverb does not, such as well. The -ly suffix on an adverb allows readers to understand its lexical category (if not in the technical sense, then at least in the sense of the intended meaning), showing that it is intended to modify the adjective that it precedes and so not requiring hyphenation. Quickly and badly are unambiguously adverbs. Other adverbs (such as well) can commonly be used as adjectives; therefore these adverbs without the -ly suffix are accompanied by a hyphen. For example, one could speak of a well-known actress or a little-known actress.
Furthermore, the word very in a compound modifier is generally not accompanied by a hyphen. 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.
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.
English compound
A compound is a word composed of more than one free morpheme.English compounds may be classified in several ways, such as the word classes or the semantic relationship of their components.-Compound nouns:...
of two or more attributive
Attributive
In grammar, an attributive is a word or phrase within a noun phrase that modifies the head noun. It may be an:* attributive adjective* attributive noun* attributive verbor other part of speech....
words: That is, more than one word that together modify a noun. Compound modifiers are grammatically equivalent to single-word modifiers, and can be used in conjunction with other modifiers.
Despite the common names "compound adjective" and "phrasal adjective", the constituent words need not be adjectives. Combinations of nouns
Noun
In linguistics, a noun is a member of a large, open lexical category whose members can occur as the main word in the subject of a clause, the object of a verb, or the object of a preposition .Lexical categories are defined in terms of how their members combine with other kinds of...
, determiners, and other parts of speech are common (man-eating and one-way).
The punctuation of compound modifiers in English depends on their grammatical role. Attributive
Attributive
In grammar, an attributive is a word or phrase within a noun phrase that modifies the head noun. It may be an:* attributive adjective* attributive noun* attributive verbor other part of speech....
compounds – modifiers within the noun phrase
Noun phrase
In grammar, a noun phrase, nominal phrase, or nominal group is a phrase based on a noun, pronoun, or other noun-like word optionally accompanied by modifiers such as adjectives....
– are typically hyphenated, whereas the same compound used as a predicate
Predicate (grammar)
There are two competing notions of the predicate in theories of grammar. Traditional grammar tends to view a predicate as one of two main parts of a sentence, the other being the subject, which the predicate modifies. The other understanding of predicates is inspired from work in predicate calculus...
will typically not be.
Compound adjectives
Compound adjectiveAdjective
In grammar, an adjective is a 'describing' word; the main syntactic role of which is to qualify a noun or noun phrase, giving more information about the object signified....
s, like normal adjectives, modify noun phrases. Grammatically, there is no difference between hot metal and white-hot metal – the latter is a compound adjective because it is made of two words used in conjunction.
Note that not all sequences of adjectives (or other types of words) modifying a noun phrase are necessarily parts of one or more compound adjectives. White-hot metal and white hot metal refer to subtly different things: in the first, white modifies hot which modifies metal – it is this layering of modification which calls for the hyphenation in order to clarify the meaning, that the metal mentioned is very hot. In the second example, however, white and hot separately modify the noun – if one were to be removed, the other's relationship with the noun would be unchanged.
Hyphenation of elements
Conventionally, and with the support of modern writing guides, compound modifiers that appear before a noun phraseNoun phrase
In grammar, a noun phrase, nominal phrase, or nominal group is a phrase based on a noun, pronoun, or other noun-like word optionally accompanied by modifiers such as adjectives....
may include a hyphen
Hyphen
The hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. The hyphen should not be confused with dashes , which are longer and have different uses, or with the minus sign which is also longer...
between each word, subject to a number of exceptions. Hyphens are used in this way to help prevent confusion; without their use, a reader might interpret the words separately, rather than as a phrase. One or more hyphens join the relevant words into a single idea.
Exceptions
Major style guides advise consulting a dictionary to determine whether a compound adjective should be hyphenated; the dictionary's hyphenation should be followed even when the compound adjective precedes a noun. Hyphens are unnecessary in other unambiguous, regularly used compound adjectives.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)
- "Your friends will enjoy these reusable waste free lunch containers." Which is the intended meaning: A) "Your friends will enjoy these reusable-waste, free-lunch containers.", or B) "Your friends will enjoy these reusable, waste-free lunch containers."
Exceptions
It may be appropriate to distinguish between compound modifiers whose adverb has the suffixSuffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns or adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs...
-ly, such as quickly and badly, and those whose adverb does not, such as well. The -ly suffix on an adverb allows readers to understand its lexical category (if not in the technical sense, then at least in the sense of the intended meaning), showing that it is intended to modify the adjective that it precedes and so not requiring hyphenation. Quickly and badly are unambiguously adverbs. Other adverbs (such as well) can commonly be used as adjectives; therefore these adverbs without the -ly suffix are accompanied by a hyphen. For example, one could speak of a well-known actress or a little-known actress.
Furthermore, the word very in a compound modifier is generally not accompanied by a hyphen. 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.
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.
Other works
- The Associated Press Stylebook and Libel Manual, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. (1992)
- "Hyphens" in the Style Guide of the Economist
- The Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of StyleThe Chicago Manual of Style is a style guide for American English published since 1906 by the University of Chicago Press. Its 16 editions have prescribed writing and citation styles widely used in publishing...
, 15th ed. 2003, Clause 5.92, p. 171 - Compound Modifiers
- Questions on Hyphens from the North Carolina State University's Online Writing Lab