Ambrose BierceBeware of the compound adjective, beloved of the tyro and the 'poetess'.
About This Quote
Beware of the compound adjective, beloved of the tyro and the 'poetess'. Beware of the compound adjective. It is a dangerous thing, and it often leads to absurdity. Some phrases which are supposed to be compound adjectives look like hyperbolic exaggerations: The ugly duckling becomes a swan, the lame man becomes strong, the poor man becomes rich, etc.
Others look like hypermeters: The quick-tempered man becomes slow-minded, the stingy man becomes generous. And others look like hyphenated adjectives: The love-sick man becomes wiser, the sad man becomes cheerful. The compound adjective looks like a single word in print but when we speak we say them as two or more words.
For example, we often say the turbulent times in history and express our surprise by saying "I can't believe it!" without even considering that those words are not only two separate words but also two separate ideas.
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