IXL | Use hyphens in compound adjectives

Add hyphens to compound adjectives where necessary. If no hyphens are needed, submit the text without making any changes.

He is a well respected educator in part because he provides the support necessary for his students to meet his high expectations.

ref_doc_title.

Learn with an example

question

Add hyphens to compound adjectives where necessary. If no hyphens are needed, submit the text without making any changes.

Open ended questions tend to engage people in discussion more effectively than questions that simply call for a response of yes or no.

key idea

A compound adjective is an adjective made up of more than one word. In general, use a hyphen to join the words of a compound adjective, especially when the adjective could be misread without the hyphen.

a full-time job	an open-ended question
that well-known actor	an ear-splitting scream
my two-year-old cousin	an open-and-shut case

However, do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun or pronoun it modifies, or when the first word of the compound is an adverb ending in -ly.

that actor is well known	my cousin is two years old
a barely visible star	freshly washed sheets

Note that adjacent adjectives are only considered a compound if the first adjective describes the second adjective rather than the noun.

an expensive new desk	an expensive-looking desk

In the first example, the desk is expensive. In the second example, the desk isn't expensive, but it looks expensive.

solution

Open-ended is a compound adjective, and it comes before the noun it modifies. It needs a hyphen.

$Confetti$

Excellent!

Now entering the Challenge Zone—are you ready?

Questions
answeredQuestions

Time
elapsedTime

hr	min	sec
00	00	06

SmartScore
out of 100
IXL's SmartScore is a dynamic measure of progress towards mastery, rather than a percentage grade. It tracks your skill level as you tackle progressively more difficult questions. Consistently answer questions correctly to reach excellence (90), or conquer the Challenge Zone to achieve mastery (100)! Learn more

Teacher tools

Work it out

Not feeling ready yet? These can help:

MM.1Identify adjectives

SS.4Commas with coordinate adjectives

Excellent! You got that right!

Jumping to level 1 of 1

Excellent!