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.
Now try the English Punctuation Quiz.
