Can compound adjectives consist of more than 2 words

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Pola-x  #362957  Thu, 10 May 07 02:37 PM

Hi everybody!

I wonder if I can use 3, 4 or more words in a compound adjective. For example you can say "a short-haired young man", but can you say "an oily(oiled?)-short-haired young man" or "big-red-eyed" or "long-hairy-skinny-armed"? Is there a rule? And how does it work?

Thank you! Smile [:)]

  
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Grammar Geek  #362965  Thu, 10 May 07 02:48 PM

Hi Pola, and welcome to the forums!

When you want to use describe different aspects of something (color and texture, size and color, etc.) don't link them with hyphens. You really need to change your word order.

He was a young man with short, oily hair. (Not: short oily-haired man because you don't know if was the hair or the man that was short, and not short-oily-haired because we just don't do it that way.)

He had long, skinny, hairy arms.

He had big red eyes. (I hope he was a rabbit and not a person!)

  
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