This paper proposes to explore compound adjectives and in particular the noun + -ed structure. A brief study of its syntactic and semantic function is followed by an analysis of the differences between compound adjectives containing an adverb in initial position (such as darkly-suited) and those containing an adjective (dark-suited) and also the difference between compound nouns and the structure adjective + noun + -ed. A study of the American editions of various British novels reveals that the systematic substitution of one form for another by some publishers modifies the text, the narrative point of view and the reader-narrator relationship.