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.

Loam, a type of soil that contains clay, silt, and sand, is popular for its moisture retaining properties.

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question

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

The body temperature of warm blooded animals, such as mammals and birds, typically remains constant despite changes in the surrounding environment.

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

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

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NN.1Identify adjectives

TT.4Commas with coordinate adjectives

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