Hyphens: Compounds beginning with adverbs

On this page

• Adverb + adjective
• Adverb + participle
  • Adverbs ending in “-ly”
  • Other adverbs
• Additional information

Adverb + adjective

Don’t hyphenate compounds consisting of an adverb or adverbial phrase followed by an adjective:

• a very quiet day
• a reasonably tall tree
• an all too complacent attitude

However, use a hyphen when there’s a danger of misinterpreting the meaning. For example, “best qualified candidate” could be interpreted in two ways:

• the best candidate out of all the qualified ones
• the candidate with the best qualifications

In this case, use a hyphen in best-qualified to refer to the candidate with the best qualifications: best-qualified candidate

Adverb + participle

Adverb + participle compounds can be tricky. The use of the hyphen depends in part on the type of adverb and in part on whether the compound comes before or after the noun or pronoun.

Adverbs ending in “-ly”

Don’t hyphenate adverb + participle compounds when the adverb ends in -ly:

• the richly embroidered skirt
• fully employed individuals
• a deeply moving conversation

Other adverbs

If the adverb doesn’t end in -ly, hyphenate the adverb + participle compound when it comes before the noun:

• ever-changing tides
• fast-growing industry
• well-fed cattle

Most adverb + participle compounds following the noun or pronoun won’t be hyphenated:

• She is well known.
• Arichat’s natural harbour was deep and well protected.
• This applicant is best suited for the job.

Additional information

• Adverbs
• Grammar terms
• Adjective
• Participle, participle phrase
• Noun