Home/Common Mistakes/Grammar/Adjectives/Never use hyphens with very nor adverbs ending in -ly
Home/Common Mistakes/Grammar/Adjectives/Never use hyphens with very nor adverbs ending in -ly

Never use hyphens with very nor adverbs ending in -ly

Compound adjectives formed with an ‑ly adverb, and a participle or another adjective are never hyphenated.

  • An overly long speech.
    (adverb/overly – adjectives/long)
  • She is an extremely brave young girl.
    (adverb/extremely – adjectives/brave, young)
  • A highly regarded woman.
    (adverb/highly – participle/regarded)
  • It was a beautifully painted landscape.
    (adverb/beautifully – participle/painted)

The same applies to the adverb very.

  • A very tired child.
    (adverb/very + adjective/tired)

This rule applies only to adverbs. The following two examples are correct because the -ly words are not adverbs:

  • A friendly-looking dog.
  • A family-run business.