HYPHENATED MODIFIERS

A. Hyphenated modifiers in –ING : man-eating, impatient-looking, fast-growing

Notice the meaning and intonation of the hyphenated modifiers:

a MAN-EATING animal  an animal that eats man

an IMPATIENT-LOOKING teacher  a teacher that looks impatient
SWEET-SMELLING soap  soap that smells sweet
FAST-GROWING plants  plants that grow fast
a HIGH-FLYING jet  a jet that flies high

1. Hyphenated modifiers can be formed from action verb phrases (eats man, looks impatient, flies high). To
form the modifier, place the verb at the end of the phrase and add –ING.
2. The hyphenated modifier is closely joined in a speech, and both words are stressed. This close joining is
usually indicated in writing by a hyphen (–).
3. If you omit the hyphen (–) so that the V-ING is not longer join the noun which precedes it, you may change the
meaning completely:
a MAN-EATING fish  a fish that eats man
a man eating fish  a man who is eating fish
4. There is a growing tendency to omit the hyphen in many hyphenated modifiers when they appear anywhere in
the sentence except immediately preceding the word modified.
These are fast-growing plants. In this sentence a hyphen must be used but it is optional in:
These plants are fast-growing or These plants are fast growing.

EXERCISE:
I. Form hyphenated modifiers from the following groups of words!
a dress that catches the eye  an eye-catching dress
1. a family that loves fun 6. coffee that tastes bitter
2. a team that climbs mountains 7. an event that shook the world
3. a horse that looks tired 8. a committee that writes the candidate’s speeches
4. a plane that flies high 9. a house that looked impressive
5. clothes that smell clean 10. a discussion that never ends

II. Change the sentences to include hyphenated modifiers!

That animal looks fierce.
Your car moves fast.
1. That fellow looks unhappy.
2. Their roses smell sweet.
3. That meeting will be held to make policy.
4. Your voice sounds happy.
5. That traffic is moving slowly.
 That is a fierce-looking animal.
 You have a fast-moving car.
6. I hope this vacation will never end.
7. This music sounds strange.
8. Your clothes smell clean.
9. That bird eats insects.
10. His name sounded important.

B. Hyphenated modifiers in –ED: emotion-filled, self-educated, low-pitched

Notice the meaning of the hyphenated modifiers:

an EMOTION-FILLED speech  a speech that is filled with emotion

the FIRE-DAMAGED house  the house that is damaged by fire
a LOW-PITCHED voice  a voice that is pitched low
a SELF-EDUCATED man  a man who educated himself

1. Hyphenated modifiers can also be formed from passive and reflexive verb phrases (is filled with emotion,
educated himself, is pitched low). To form the modifier, place the verb at the end of the phrase and
add –ED (including the regular and irregular form).
2. Place a hyphen between the two words of the hyphenated modifier.

EXERCISE:
Form hyphenated modifiers from the following groups of words!
a man who had been known well in this community
 a well-known man in this community
1. the house that was damaged by fire
2. a soldier who was scarred in battle
3. these antiquities which have been preserved well
4. a plot that was developed fully
5. a plain that is swept by the wind
6. a country which governed itself
7. a wound which had been inflicted by the man on himself
8. a basket that was woven by hand
9. the speech that was filled with emotion
10. the punishment that is imposed on oneself
11. a man who educated himself
12. the children who behave themselves well
C. Hyphenated modifiers formed from noun phrases: sad-faced, narrow-minded, clear-
sighted

Notice the hyphenated modifiers:

 I saw a SAD-FACED man standing on the corner.

 His father was too NARROW-MINDED to discuss that subject with him.
 She always thought he was a CLEAR-SIGHTED businessman.
 His MILD-MANNERED appearance deceived them; he was really a dangerous criminal.

1. Hyphenated modifiers can be formed from noun phrases (sad face, narrow mind, clear sight, mild manner). To
form the modifier, add –ED to the noun and place a hyphen before it. No verb is involved in the formation
of these modifiers.
2. When changing a noun phrase that includes GOOD into a hyphenated modifier, GOOD sometimes becomes
WELL.
a girl with GOOD MANNERS  a WELL-MANNERED girl but
a man in GOOD HUMOUR  a GOOD-HUMOURED man
3. A closely-related construction is becoming increasingly more popular in current English. In many cases the –
ED may be dropped from the hyphenated modifiers formed from the noun phrases.
HIGH-HEELED shoes  HIGH-HEEL shoes
KING-SIZED cigarettes  KING-SIZE cigarettes
HARD-SURFACED road  HARD-SURFACE road
EXERCISE:
Change the underlined noun phrases into hyphenated modifiers and rewrite the sentences. Follow the
examples.
She writes with her left hand.  She is LEFT-HANDED.
The man with the loud voice sat near us.  The LOUD-VOICED man sat near us.
1. She has a very bad temper.
2. The soldier with only one arm was kind to us.
3. Some children have flat feet or knock-knees.
4. My daughter is suffering from a broken heart.
5. When I drink too much wine, my head feels light.
6. Mrs. Palmer is well-known as a lady with kind heart.
7. Did you speak to the woman who has such a loud voice?
8. That man gave a presentation which showed only one side of the proposal.
9. In an emergency you always need a person with a cool head.
10. I always said he was a man with hard head (stubborn).