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 before the noun it is modifying. Do not use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes after the noun or pronoun it is modifying.

an open-ended question	the question is open ended
that well-known actor	that actor is well known
my two-year-old cousin	my cousin is two years old

Compound adjectives always use a hyphen when the last word of the compound is free or the first word of the compound is self.

the cold-blooded frog	the frog is cold-blooded
a self-conscious person	a person who is self-conscious

Compound adjectives never use a hyphen when the first word of the compound is an adverb ending in -ly or when the compound relates to a region or nationality.

freshly washed sheets	sheets that are freshly washed
the Latin American artist	the artist is Latin American

Note that there are special situations where two adjacent modifiers do not form a compound. For example, adjectives modified by adverbs of degree (such as more, most, least, very or rather) are never considered compounds, so they do not use a hyphen.

a more effective leader	the leader is more effective

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.

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