Questions tagged [compound-adjectives]
A compound adjective is when two or more adjectives are combined to modify a noun. In many instances, such compounds are hyphenated.
29 questions
2
votes
3
answers
9k
views
Should there be a hyphen in expressions such as "currently-available X"?
My natural instinct is to hyphenate expressions such as "currently-available", "currently-implemented", etc., when they modify a noun. Example: "the currently-available version of X". It seems to me ...
7
votes
3
answers
326
views
Is there a word or phrase to define several words linked by hyphens, such as in "a sit-back-and-wait-for-it attitude"
some more examples:
"And she gave me that aren't-I-just-gorgeous smile."
"The I-did-it-my-way approach."
"A from-this-day-forward-I-have-no-son scene."
6
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Irregular plurals in noun adjuncts
Several psycholinguists1,2 have observed that English speakers do not use regular plurals in compounds, even when the noun refers to more than one instance (dog-catcher, *dogs-catcher), but do use ...
16
votes
3
answers
17k
views
How should a multiple-word noun be punctuated within a compound adjective? [duplicate]
I would like to use a noun made of multiple words (like particle board, Mount Everest, or windscreen wiper) in a compound adjective with a hyphen. But I don't know how to hyphenate such a composition....
3
votes
2
answers
24k
views
Hyphenating measurements [duplicate]
A construction that I have been seeing a lot lately that seems surprising to me is "The 8-foot-long bridge ...," with two hyphens.
It seems surprising to me (or maybe I'm just noticing it) that ...
3
votes
3
answers
809
views
"Hardware-counter-based tools" or "hardware-counter based tools"? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicates:
Chainsaw-equipped or chainsaw equipped?
How to connect a word and a phrase with a hyphen?
"One-Day Only Promotion" or "One-Day-Only Promotion"
Which is ...
17
votes
1
answer
45k
views
Use of a hyphen with the word "based"
I'm checking a technical paper submission and came across the phrase
We propose spherical Gaussian based approximations to calculate this analytically.
and wondering if this needs a hyphen ...
15
votes
1
answer
7k
views
Fractions as phrasal (compound) adjectives
Is there a difference between a written-out fraction that serves as a noun:
He gave me one half of his sandwich.
and a written-out fraction serving as an adjective:
I gave her a one-half share ...
3
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How to hyphenate a phrasal adjective: PCI-compliant
I have a phrase I use often in my work, but I'm not sure if I'm hyphenating it correctly. As it stands, I've been writing it like this: The PCI-compliant payment gateway...
I think PCI-compliant is a ...
1
vote
1
answer
518
views
Hyphenation of Compound Adjective
Is this correct: Representation of a 4 to 9-node-quadrilateral element?
and this: which is the case of a multi-degree of freedom problem?
0
votes
1
answer
605
views
Hyphenation of a compound modifier formed of an adjective and a noun
Earlier questions on the hyphenation of compound modifiers have been well answered, so now I would sharpen the question.
We seem to agree that this has good hyphenation:
The question is well ...
15
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Is it correct to say 'a four doored car'?
If I describe a motor car as a 'four door car' I am making 'door' an adjective. It forms a compound adjective with the word 'four' and it adjectivally describes an attribute of the car, and is ...
2
votes
1
answer
354
views
hyphenation of compound adjectives [closed]
Proofreading a friend's work, I came across the following phrase:
[teachers and students] work collaboratively to change long held, potentially incorrect and deeply believed views
Now, while I'm ...
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
"Is far from..." - How do I connote the simile, without the literal connotation?
In using a contrasting simile, I think I have fallen into a trap. I want to say:
The academy is far from a placid house of learning.
In the sense of:
The academy is not at all a serene place ...
0
votes
1
answer
204
views
Strings like 'open-minded': how are they classified?
How are strings like 'open-minded' regarded?
If you say they're participles, I ask of which verb ('to open-mind' or 'to mind'? With which meaning then? Is there a meaning of 'to mind' like 'to provide ...
0
votes
3
answers
45
views
A service-oriented architecture–developed application vs An application developed with a service-oriented architecture
I know the following kind of transformation can be done to turn passive voice into active voice when there is an actor preceded by the preposition by:
An application developed by Microsoft should be ...
11
votes
3
answers
13k
views
article heading should be "Experiment setup" or "Experimental setup"?
My advisor insists on using a heading "Experimental Setup" in his science journal articles. I always cringed a little, thinking it should be "Experiment setup" instead. Now I am writing an article and ...
3
votes
2
answers
7k
views
What is the correct usage of hyphens with ranges (as in "a 5 to 10 minute rest")?
I'm having issues with figuring out which is correct:
"The teacher told the students to take a 5 to 10 minute rest."
"The teacher told the students to take a 5-to-10 minute rest."
"The teacher told ...
2
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Is "currently-installed" a proper compound adjective? [duplicate]
I'm in the process of working on technical documentation and the phrase "currently-installed" came up. The context of the orginal sentesnece is as follows:
"You are not licensed to use the ...
2
votes
2
answers
917
views
Adjectives used with intransitive verbs in lieu of adverbs
I certainly wouldn't argue that "I feel good" should be replaced with "I feel well," but I have forgotten what we used to call the adjective in this type of construction. Adjective predicate? ...
1
vote
1
answer
1k
views
Is it better to list adjectives, with an "and"? [duplicate]
When we use more than one adjective, e.g.
The big, red, bouncy balloon.
The list of three adjectives {big, red, and bouncy} is a list, so by rights it should be separated by commas, with an "and" ...
1
vote
2
answers
678
views
What grammatical role is "blood" playing in the phrase "blood red"?
"Blood red" can be both a noun and an adjective:
Blood red is my favourite colour. [noun]
The wall was blood red. [adjective]
The "blood" is optional in the sense it can be ...
1
vote
3
answers
16k
views
Joining two words to make a single word
I am international engineering student studying in US. I have a question regarding words that are created as a result of joining two words. Usually this happens when two technologies or methodologies ...
1
vote
1
answer
18k
views
Offroad, off road, or off-road?
My instincts tell me that the following phrase should be "2014 and newer off-road equipment." When I Google it, I see all of the these: offroad, off road, and off-road. Is there a correct one? Or ...
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
with/without "-ed" for the compound adjectives formed by "adj.+noun"? [duplicate]
Among tons of "adj.+noun" compound adjectives, some of them end with "-ed", e.g. open-minded, double-sided, big-headed, some without, e.g. present-day, rear-view, deep-sea. I've also seen the usage of ...
0
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Hyphenating Multiple Compound Adjectives With Common First Word
I have a feeling this question has already been asked, but couldn't find it by searching. I found people asking about hyphenation of multiple compound adjectives with a common second word, but I'm ...
0
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Hyphenation of the suffix "like"
I am having trouble understanding the following:
"the achievable rate of the optimal AF scheme performs close to the cut-set like bound obtained in this paper"
I think that the word "like" (above) ...
0
votes
2
answers
104
views
'The snap election results' or 'The snap-election results'? [closed]
Which of the two is grammatically correct?
The snap election results are in.
The snap-election results are in.
The sentence should refer to the results of an election that was announced suddenly and ...
0
votes
3
answers
176
views
"Typical liberal bulls-t" or "typically liberal bulls-t"?
My liberal friend wrote that he's gonna do some research soon.
I asked, "Into what?"
"[Redacted.] Typically liberal bullshit," he replied self-depricatingly.
Then he corrects himself: "*typical"
But ...