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Home/Common Mistakes/Writing/Hyphens/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.

Compound adjectives formed with adverbs not ending in ‑ly are hyphenated when they are before the noun.

  • He is a well-known singer in his country.
    (adjective/well-known – noun/singer)
  • The fast-changing situation.
    (adjective/fast-changing – noun/situation)

If the compound adjective is after the noun, it is not hyphenated.

  • A singer that is well known in his country.
    (noun/singer – adjectives/well known)
  • The situation is fast changing.
    (noun/situation – adjectives/fast changing)