Adjective - An adjective is a word that tells us more about a noun.

It "describes" or "modifies" a
noun (The big dog was hungry).
Ex. Ashamed, Adorable, Attractive, Beautiful, Awful, Aggressive, Cruel, Clever, Tasty,
Jealous.

Phrasal Adjective – also known as compound adjective, is a set of two or more words that
modify a noun. It can be hyphenated or not.
less-polished writers often fail to appreciate the difference that adjective can make

1. Hyphenated phrasal adjectives are used when they come before the described noun and
show the words' interdependence.
. When a number of words together modify or describe a noun, the phrase is
ordinarily hyphenated.

- Examples: The carretela is made of high-quality material.

- Ryan went to a small-town high school.
 Home-state jurisdiction
 Six-month period
 Fixed-rate mortgage
 Court-ordered visitation
 Case-by-case analysis
 Trade-secret protection
 Time-honored tradition
Note that hyphenated phrasal adjectives are used when they identify amount, money,
or duration.
Periods of time or amounts. With phrasal adjectives denoting periods of time or
amounts, drop the plurals (Singular) {nine-month pregnancy; 24-hour-a-day
service; two-liter bottle}. Note that you would write 30-day notice or 30 days’
notice but not 30-days notice. 
- Baldo could be a thirteen-year-old boy.
- The band is on a three-day concert tour.

2. Phrasal adjectives are not hyphenated when

 the adjective phrase uses an -ly adverb
- Example: The newly created painting about nature made me
happy.
- He had an incredibly loud voice.
Phrases beginning with an –ly adverb: wholly owned subsidiary, newly
formed opinion; legally permitted action; calmly spoken argument.
 Note: if the phrasal adjective begins with an adjective (not an adverb)
ending in –ly, it needs a hyphen. So, curly-haired boy and incredibly-dark
building need hyphens because curly and incredibly are adjectives.
poorly run bank
closely held positions
 the adjective phrase follows the modified noun
- Example: The carretela's material is high quality.
- The rule is well followed.
Phrases that follow the noun modified: that rule is well known (vs. a well-
known rule); a claim of bad faith (vs. a bad-faith claim); action for
unlawful detainer (vs. unlawful-detainer action)
His wit was razor sharp.
The characters were over the top.
His personality was larger than life.