compound adjectives

Question

I cam e across some text where the author has hyphenated so many things I am beginning to lose my grip. For example: ". . . the tastefully-decorated house . . ." should this type of thing be hyphenated? Is there a difference in this between British and American English?

How about: ". . . a dignified-looking man . . ."? or ". . . a very tall, sharp-featured, good-looking young man with a lean and hard-looking body."

Mister Micawber · Accepted Answer

Boballoo ". . . the tastefully-decorated house . . ." should this type of thing be hyphenated?

No: adverbs ending in '-ly' should not be hyphenated.

BoballooIs there a difference in this between British and American English?

I don't think so.

Boballoo. . . a dignified-looking man . . ."? or ". . . a very tall, sharp-featured, good-looking young man with a lean and hard-looking body."

Yes, hyphens. Strictly, you would add a hyphen after 'lean' also. But as you say, hyphens can make a text look jerry-built, so you should recast it to avoid some of them if possible: a very tall, attractive young man with chiseled features and a lean, hardened body.

Fivejedjon · Answer

I, a speaker of Br E would write a tastefully-decorated house but The house was tastefully decorated.

compound adjectives

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