Level: B1-B2

Hyphenated Compound Adjectives — Practice

Practice identifying compound adjectives (two or more words acting together as one adjective — well-known author, five-year-old child, state-of-the-art technology). Includes the hyphen-or-no-hyphen rule and the -ly adverb exception, with 39 click-to-hear examples.

📝 Adjectives unit · lesson 8 of 10 ⏱ about 12 minutes 🔊 every example has audio

Builds on Royal Order Next in unit Commas Between Adjectives →

Compound adjectives — quick guide

A compound adjective is two or more words working together as one adjective. When the compound comes before a noun, the words are usually joined with hyphens.

a well-known author
a five-year-old child
state-of-the-art technology
a long-term plan
a world-class athlete

🎯 The rule — when to use hyphens

Compound adjective BEFORE a noun → use hyphens:
a well-known author
Same phrase AFTER the noun (predicative) → usually no hyphens:
The author is well known.
After an -ly adverb or very → no hyphen (the adverb is already understood to modify the next word):
a beautifully decorated room ✓
a very famous author ✓

Common types

Adjective + noun: full-time job, last-minute decision
Adjective + past participle: well-known, old-fashioned, short-lived
Adjective + present participle: good-looking, easy-going, hard-working
Noun + adjective: world-famous, lifelong
Number + noun: five-year-old, three-hour, ten-dollar
Phrase compounds: state-of-the-art, on-the-job, up-to-date

Number rule: when the number is part of the compound, the noun stays singular: a five-YEAR-old child (not five-years-old), a six-DAY trip (not six-days).

📖 Want the full explanation with more examples? See English Adjectives → Position and compound adjectives on the main grammar page.

How to use this page

🔊 Listen: click the speaker icon to hear the whole line read aloud.
Word audio: click any word to hear it spoken on its own.
🌐 Translate: choose a language then click the globe icon to open Google Translate.
☑️ Select & practice: tick the checkboxes to choose items, then print them, make a worksheet or flashcards, or start a quiz.

Adjective + past/present participle compounds
She is a well-known author.
The author is well known.
That is an old-fashioned car.
The car looks old fashioned.
He is a hard-working student.
The student is hard working.
She is a good-looking actress.
The actress is good looking.
He is an easy-going person.
The relationship was short-lived.
Number-based compounds (singular noun!)
She has a five-year-old son.
Her son is five years old.
It is a three-hour meeting.
The meeting was three hours long.
I bought a ten-dollar ticket.
The ticket cost ten dollars.
They had a two-week vacation.
The vacation was two weeks long.
This is a forty-minute drive.
The drive takes forty minutes.
Phrase compounds (three or more words)
We use state-of-the-art equipment.
This equipment is state of the art.
It was a last-minute change.
That information is up-to-date.
She received on-the-job training.
This training is done on the job.
They prefer a long-term investment.
The investment is long term.
Adjective + noun compounds
She has a full-time job.
Her job is full time.
That is a part-time position.
The position is part time.
He gave me a two-page summary.
The summary was two pages long.
The -ly adverb exception (no hyphen even before noun)
It is a beautifully decorated room.
She is a highly respected doctor.
He is a recently elected mayor.
This is a very famous author.
That is a poorly written essay.

Where to go from here