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can an adjective be two words

by Tad Jenkins Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

A compound adjective is an adjective that is made up of multiple individual words. Usually, the words are connected by a hyphen or hyphens when used as an adjective. Words like absent-minded and happy-go-lucky are examples of compound adjectives
compound adjectives
A compound modifier (also called a compound adjective, phrasal adjective, or adjectival phrase) is a compound of two or more attributive words: that is, two or more words that collectively modify a noun.
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Jul 28, 2021

Full Answer

Can you have more than one adjective in a sentence?

But sometimes we use more than one adjective to describe something. A compound adjective is an adjective that contains two or more words. In general we put a hyphen between two or more words (before a noun) when we want them to act as a single idea (adjective) that describes something.

What is a compound adjective that contains two or more words?

A compound adjective is an adjective that contains two or more words. In general we put a hyphen between two or more words (before a noun) when we want them to act as a single idea (adjective) that describes something. I live in an English-speaking country.

How many adjectives are there?

List of 228 Common Adjectives List of 228 Common Adjectives Adjectives are some of the most common words in the English language and they modify perhaps the most common words in the English language, nouns. With a list of common adjectives at hand, you can effectively describe your surroundings in detail.

How do you use two syllable adjectives together?

Two-syllable adjectives ending in -y replace -y with -iest. Multi-syllable adjectives add the word most. When you use an article with a superlative adjective, it will almost always be the definite article (the) rather than a or an.

What is a double adjective called?

Using "and" with Paired Adjectives. When two adjectives are used together to describe a noun, they are sometimes called "paired adjectives" (they are also sometimes called coordinate & cumulative adjectives).

What do you call a hyphenated adjective?

We use a hyphen to connect the word English with speaking to show that it is one adjective (or one idea). This adjective with two words joined by the hyphen is called a compound adjective.

What is a compound adjective word?

A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives work together to modify the same noun. These terms should be hyphenated to avoid confusion or ambiguity.

What are two adjectives examples?

An adjective is a word that describes the traits, qualities, or number of a noun. What are examples of adjectives? Descriptive words like “beautiful,” “smooth,” or “heavy” are all adjectives, as are numbers ( “twelve eggs”).

Why are some adjectives hyphenated?

In a temporary compound that is used as an adjective before a noun, use a hyphen if the term can be misread or if the term expresses a single thought (i.e., all words together modify the noun).

How do you hyphenate adjectives?

Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two or more words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they're describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It's impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.

Can a noun be two words?

A compound noun is a noun that is made with two or more words. A compound noun is usually [noun + noun] or [adjective + noun], but there are other combinations (see below). It is important to understand and recognize compound nouns.

Do you hyphenate compound adjectives?

Generally, hyphenate two or more words when they come before a noun they modify and act as a single idea. This is called a compound adjective. When a compound adjective follows a noun, a hyphen is usually not necessary.

What is a comparative adjective example?

A comparative adjective is an adjective used to compare two people or things. We use comparative adjectives to say that one person or thing demonstrates a high degree of a quality or is a better example of a quality than the other. Words like taller, smarter, and slower are examples of comparative adjectives.

Can you have 3 adjectives in a row?

"Cumulative adjectives" are two or more adjectives that build on one another and together modify a noun. They're consecutive.

Can you use 3 adjectives together?

The order of adjectives when using two or more adjectives. There are general rules for using two or more adjectives together. In most cases adjectives are placed before the noun. It is not common to used more then 3 adjectives together, but it is possible and is grammatically correct.

What are the two rules to tell if adjectives are coordinate?

"There are two 'tests' for determining whether a pair of adjectives is coordinate. A pair of adjectives is coordinate if (1) one can place and between the adjectives, or (2) one can reverse the order of the adjectives and still have a sensible phrase.

How to test for coordinate adjectives?

Another way to test for coordinate adjectives is to try switching the order of the adjectives and seeing if the phrase still works. In the second sentence, you wouldn’t say “No one could open the silver old locket.”. You can’t reverse the order of the adjectives because silver locket is a unit that is modified by old.

What is linking verb?

A linking verb is a verb like to feel, to seem, or to taste that describes a state of being or a sensory experience . That cow sure is happy. It smells gross in the locker room. Driving is faster than walking. The technical term for an adjective used this way is predicate adjective.

What does "three and white" mean?

Three and white are modifying flowers. Often, when adjectives are used together, you should separate them with a comma or conjunction. See “Coordinate Adjectives” below for more detail. I’m looking for a small, good-tempered dog to keep as a pet. My new dog is small and good-tempered.

Can adjectives be used as complements?

But as we’ve seen, adjectives can also act as complements for linking verb s. This leads to a common type of error: incorrectly substituting an adverb in place of a predicate adjective.

Do adjectives modify verbs?

Adjectives modify nouns. Most students learn that adjectives are words that modify (describe) nouns. Adjectives do not modify verbs or adverbs or other adjectives. Margot wore a beautiful hat to the pie-eating contest. Furry dogs may overheat in the summertime. My cake should have sixteen candles.

Is "homeless" an adjective or a noun?

In the context of this sentence, homeless is functioning as a noun. It can be hard to wrap your head around this if you think of adjectives and nouns only as particular classes of words.

Is "feel" an adverb?

Because “feel” is a verb, it seems to call for an adverb rather than an adjective. But “feel” isn’t just any verb; it’s a linking verb. An adverb would describe how you perform the action of feeling—an adjective describes what you feel. “I feel badly” means that you are bad at feeling things.

Why do we use adjectives in English?

Using an adjective list can help you build a more advanced vocabulary and build your ability to use descriptive language.

Why do people make a list of descriptive words?

People who are learning a foreign language often make a list of common descriptive words to study in order to expand their vocabulary beyond just basic nouns and verbs in the new language.

What is gradable adjective?

A gradable adjective is a word which permits degrees of variation (a certain dog may be fatter than another dog). The question of what exactly makes an adjective non-gradable is a perplexing one, as many people hold differing opinions on the matter.

Can you add an er to an adjective?

If your adjective has a single syllable ( fat ), then you can usually just add an - er or an - est to it. Unless! 1. It is an exception, such as the words ill, good, wrong, well, far, and a handful of others. Some of these words are still inflected ( farther/farthest ), while others are modified with the words more or most ...

What is an adjective in English?

We know an adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun. We also know that in English adjectives almost always precede their noun, unlike languages such as Spanish and French, in which adjectives more commonly can be placed either before or after a noun depending on their function or emphasis.

Can you use more than three adjectives before a noun?

In addition, using more than three adjectives before a noun is rare and generally not recommended. With that being said, using the table above, we can form descriptive expressions with some direction. Examples:

What is the one word form of "anyone"?

8. Anyone/any one: The one-word form is a pronoun, synonymous with anybody, used as in “Anyone can make that claim.” “Any one” consists of the adjective any and the noun one, as in “Any one of you might be next.”. 9.

How to emphasize a single individual or item?

To emphasize a single individual or item, use two words: “Every one of them is broken.”. 17. Everything/every thing: Everything is the default choice: “You’ve ruined everything.”. The two-word adjective-noun form is usually divided by an additional adjective: “Every little thing she does is magic.”. 18.

What is the meaning of "I go there every day"?

The two-word phrase, an adverb, is used in such sentences as “I go there every day” to explain how something is done. 16. Everyone/every one: To refer to everybody, use one word: “Everyone’s a critic.”. To emphasize a single individual or item, use two words: “Every one of them is broken.”. 17.

Is a sentence identical to a letter?

Many common words and phrases are identical except for a strategic letter space — apart and “a part” come to mind — and though knowing which form to use in a sentence is often obvious (as in that example), the difference can be subtle. Here are some of the less clear-cut pairs:

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