# Grammar Nazis: do I hyphenate when using "well" in a compound adjective? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816 "2018-05-25T18:53:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Moonchild](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@Moonchild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonchild)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/1 "2018-05-25T18:53:34Z")
It had been my understanding for awhile now (:p) that an adverb, when used in a compound adjective, does not require hyphenation. But MS Word blue-lined my _well received memo_. Is it merely adverbs ending in _-ly_ that are sans hyphen when used in a compound adjective? (I’m not certain if _sans_ requires italics, but it appears not, due to familiarity, despite it being a foreign-language word.) Note: my apologies for the political incorrectness of the thread title. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/2 "2018-05-25T19:06:24Z")
Yes, well-received needs a hyphen. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/3 "2018-05-25T19:10:50Z")
Chicago Manual of Style, at least, says you should, unless the modifier comes after the noun (as in, “the man is well dressed.”) [Cite](http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/images/ch07_tab01.pdf). (Third page, under "adverbs not ending in _ly_). [Here’s another run-down of style points](https://www.dailywritingtips.com/adverbs-and-hyphens/). Some style guides say that it doesn’t matter where in the sentence the compound adjective is (so those would have “the man is well-dressed.”) So, as usual, follow your preferred style guide. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/4 "2018-05-25T19:11:04Z")
Usually you would hyphenate before the noun but not after. “A well-received memo” “A memo that was well received” “A well-known celebrity” A celebrity that is well known" ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/5 "2018-05-25T19:18:20Z")
Hyphenation seems to show signs lately that some cases are going out of style, but your example needs a hyphen as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/6 "2018-05-25T20:35:34Z")
It would be a well-hyphenated use. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/7 "2018-05-25T21:11:05Z")
Somebody really needs to tell this to [ZZ Top](https://youtu.be/7wRHBLwpASw). ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/8 "2018-05-25T21:36:41Z")
And do be careful about commas as well. “The well-dressed man” might not be too pleased if he read a description of himself as “The man was, well, dressed”! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/9 "2018-05-25T21:56:59Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Somebody really needs to tell this to [ZZ Top](https://youtu.be/7wRHBLwpASw). Maybe they were referring to his acuity and clothed state, as a contrast to a “dull naked man.” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/10 "2018-05-25T22:15:51Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > And do be careful about commas as well. “The well-dressed man” might not be too pleased if he read a description of himself as “The man was, well, dressed”! Quotation marks are frequently misused as well. The “well-dressed” man might not be impressed with that description either. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/11 "2018-05-25T23:06:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Maybe they were referring to his acuity and clothed state, as a contrast to a “dull naked man.” 😉 Or he was dressed in a cape made from signs to raise notes by a semitone. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/12 "2018-05-26T01:22:59Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Chicago Manual of Style, at least, says you should, unless the modifier comes after the noun (as in, “the man is well dressed.”) [Cite](http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/16/images/ch07_tab01.pdf). (Third page, under "adverbs not ending in _ly_). > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Usually you would hyphenate before the noun but not after. > > “A well-received memo” > “A memo that was well received” I assume the purpose of the hyphen is to make it obvious that the “well” is an adverb modifying “received” rather than an adjective modifying “memo.” One of the examples in the link is “the best-known author.” Without the hyphen (“the best known author”), it’s ambiguous: Is it the best author who is known, or the author who is best known? In some cases, such as the “well-received memo” example, there’s only one interpretation that really makes sense, but still the hyphen saves the reader from having to figure that out for herself. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/13 "2018-05-26T02:08:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Maybe they were referring to his acuity and clothed state, as a contrast to a “dull naked man.” 😉 Go, thou, and read you Chicago manual of Style! If dull were to apply to “man” it needs to be separated by a comma, as in dull, naked man. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/14 "2018-05-26T02:09:28Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Go, thou, and read you Chicago manual of Style! If dull were to apply to “man” it needs to be separated by a comma, as in dull, naked man. Ha! I was waiting for someone to point that out. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/15 "2018-05-26T03:00:01Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I assume the purpose of the hyphen is to make it obvious that the “well” is an adverb modifying “received” rather than an adjective modifying “memo.” > > One of the examples in the link is “the best-known author.” Without the hyphen (“the best known author”), it’s ambiguous: Is it the best author who is known, or the author who is best known? > > In some cases, such as the “well-received memo” example, there’s only one interpretation that really makes sense, but still the hyphen saves the reader from having to figure that out for herself. Exactly right. This is why some of us _appear to be_ prescriptivists some of the time, yet in an apparent inconsistency are oddly accepting of many non-standard usage variations. It’s just that some language rules have a real functional utility, and that applies even to the function of alleviating a little bit of extra mental processing rather than actual irresolvable ambiguity. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/16 "2018-05-26T03:08:03Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > In some cases, such as the “well-received memo” example, there’s only one interpretation that really makes sense, but still the hyphen saves the reader from having to figure that out for herself. And yet, Miss Thistlebottom still gets all strung out by my misplaced modifiers. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/17 "2018-05-26T03:19:41Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > And yet, Miss Thistlebottom still gets all strung out by my misplaced modifiers. It’s one of her hobgoblins. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/18 "2018-05-26T04:06:29Z")
How would one punctuate an “extremely well received” memo? Serious question. I really don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/19 "2018-05-26T06:37:23Z")
Use the must-hyphenate-all-words-in-a-long-compound-adjective rule. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816/20 "2018-05-26T13:30:26Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Use the must-hyphenate-all-words-in-a-long-compound-adjective rule. Adverbs ending in -ly, though, do not get a hyphen, at least according to the manuals of style I’m familiar with. So the question is between “extremely well-received memo” and “extremely well received memo.” I would go with the former. The Chicago Manual of Style says: “When the adverb rather than the compound as a whole is modified by another adverb, the entire expression is open.” So is “extremely” modifying “well” or “well-received”? If the former, then it’s “extremely well received memo.” Hmm… So now, I’m actually leaning towards the open version. ETA: Or now I’m thinking to go with my initial thought with “extremely well-received memo.” That just feels “right” to me, but it’s just an issue of style. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-nazis-do-i-hyphenate-when-using-well-in-a-compound-adjective/814816.md?page=2)