Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives

Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives

Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives — aka Compound Adjectives or Compound Modifiers

We offer the list of phrasal adjectives below to readers as a helpful reference tool. The first list contains reliable examples of correctly hyphenated phrasal adjectives. The second list illustrates some key exceptions to the rule, showing when hyphens should not be used.

When teaching business writers the fine points of hyphenating phrasal adjectives, I find that my audience “gets it” when they see a big list with numerous and diverse examples. This clearly illustrates how it’s done. The long list of examples seals the lesson. Then we offer the second list illustrating the main exceptions.

Properly Hyphenated Reference List of Phrasal Adjectives:

Health-care-related issues Twenty-hour-a-day schedule
End-of-the-year doldrums Ear-jarring sound
First-year graduate students Waiver-of-subrogation clauses
Rank-and-file employees The no-waiver-of-royalty clause
Fifty-page document Fourth-quarter projections
A twelve-member jury Air-conditioned trailer
Small-town high school Anti-Iraq coalition
Apply the common-law mirror-image rule Bankruptcy-law protection
Big-spending cowboy Bikini-clad rock star
Blue-jeans-and-T-shirt crowd Boom-to-bust business adventure
Call-in television show Business-related lawsuits
Career-destroying scandal Civil-rights lawsuit
Cut-rate prices Day-care center
One-party strongholds Credit-card statement
Cease-fire agreement Electoral-college strategies
Dog-eat-dog world Forest-products stocks
Equal-protection clause Five-day mystery tour
Full-time employees Gay-rights activists
Get-out-the-vote activities Health-care products
Junk-bond rating Late-afternoon selloff
Latin-stock strategist Limited-liability company
Long-term, job-intensive projects Minimum-height requirement
Money-market rates commonly-talked-about strategies
Non-capital-intensive service sector Off-the-shelf operation
Pay-in-kind preferred stock Per-share earnings
Price-earnings multiple Racial-discrimination suit
Second-quarter operations plan State-of-the-art semiconductor
Six-day, eight-state investigation tour Third-largest steelmaker
30-second sound bites Stronger-than-expected second-quarter profit
Weaker-than-usual results Top-line growth
U.S.-built tractors Year-on-year decline
Year-over-year increase White-collar workers
Weaker-than-usual results Subchapter-S corporation
Tax-law risk Take-it-or-leave-it proposition
65.5-million-dollar projection the four-story, 50-unit complex
Across-the-board cuts Big-is-better philosophy
Blue-blood, country-club Republicans Energy-trading colossus
Client-confidentiality rules Mom-and-pop retail outlet
Third-largest oil producer Round-the-clock bargaining
Quality-enhancing advantages Sealed-bid basis
Market-share trends New-economy industries
Much-argued-over issue County-approved billboard-siting restriction
24-hour-a-day doctor-supervised care Lawyer-client relationship

For more examples see: Garner’s Modern American Usage, Third Edition (2009).

 

Key Exceptions to the Rule — Examples of When to Omit the Hyphen:

Example Reason/Rule
Popular opinion polls Opinion polls is a compound noun.
He was well trained No hyphen when modifier follows what it modifies
A widely known executive No hyphen when phrasal adjective contains adverb ending in -ly
Had a firmly held opinion Drop hyphen when phrasal adjective contains adverb ending in -ly
Granted most favored status. No hyphen when modifying word is very, most, least, or less
Marine cargo insurance policy Both modifying words can independently modify the noun
This rule is well worn No hyphen when modifier follows the noun it modifies
Very hot day No hyphen when modifying word is very, most, least, or less
Tired old dog Both modifying words can independently modify the noun
A claim of bad faith No hyphen when modifier follows the noun it modifies
The United States official resigned No hyphen when modifying phrase contains a proper noun
An impressive Pablo Picasso painting No hyphen when modifying phrase contains a proper noun
A very slightly flared handle No hyphen when modifying word is very, most, least, or less, or when phrasal adjective contains adverb ending in –ly