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Australian manual of scientific style Start communicating effectively
Compound modifiers (including adjectives and adverbs)
Download our quick guide for reference: Compound adjectives – to hyphenate or not to hyphenate .
A modifier is a word or phrase that provides additional information, or ‘modifies’, another word. A compound modifier is where 2 words are brought together to form a new combined modifier:
blue faster [modifiers]
accident-prone dust-filled fast-flowing warm-blooded [compound modifiers]
Modifiers are hyphenated differently depending on where they are placed in the sentence. One key rule will answer most of your modifier hyphenation questions:
Tip
The modifier rule
Use a hyphen in a compound modifier when the modifier comes before the word it modifies, but leave it open if it comes after the word it modifies (eg high-quality wine, the wine is high quality).
Follow the modifier rule for hyphenating most combinations, including:
- adjective + noun
long-term plan planning for the long term
- adjective + participle
open-ended question the question is open ended
- noun + noun
fire-escape stairs a fire escape
If the 2 nouns are equal in weight (rather than the first noun modifying the second), use an en dash rather than a hyphen
cost–benefit analysis the city–state of Monaco gas–liquid chromatography
- noun + participle
a heart-rending film the film was heart rending
- participle + noun
cutting-edge research research that is cutting edge
- noun + gerund
play-acting children children who are play acting
- gerund + noun
washing-machine parts a washing machine
- phrase that acts as an adjective
out-of-date publication the publication was out of date
- adverb not ending in -ly + participle or adjective (see Exceptions to the modifier rule for adverbs ending in -ly + participle or adjective)
the well-known writer the writer who is well known
- comparative or superlative adverb + adverb not ending in -ly
more-advanced seedlings some seedlings were more advanced
the most-skilled workers the workers who were most skilled
These compounds are often left open if there is no possibility of ambiguity
the most efficient method
- superlatives with ordinal numbers
second-fastest runner she was the second fastest
- participle + preposition
an often referred-to book this book is often referred to
- participle + adverb
dressed-up children the children were dressed up
- ranked (or ordinal) number + noun
third-floor office office on the third floor