high-priced or higly-priced

[moonlike]

Hi
In the following sentence, the compound adjective of the bold part is 'high-priced'. Could you tell me why we can't use 'highly-priced'? For instance, highly-paid or highly-strung. Should it be learned by heart or has it got a rule?

Those cars are a very high price.

Thanks a lot.

[bhaisahab]

Hi
In the following sentence, the compound adjective of the bold part is 'high-priced'. Could you tell me why we can't use 'highly-priced'? For instance, highly-paid or highly-strung. Should it be learned by heart or has it got a rule?

Those cars are a very high price. This is unnatural.
Thanks a lot.

"Those cars are very highly priced."
"Those cars are at a very high price."
Can you see the difference?

[moonlike]

"Those cars are very highly priced."
"Those cars are at a very high price."
Can you see the difference?

Thanks bhai, honestly the sentence sounded odd to me at first, but as I found it in an English book by an English writer (advanced vocabulary and idiom by BJ Thomas) I thought I shouldn't doubt it (so there was a word missing there). Thanks.
By the way, I don't see a difference between the two sentences. Could you help me get it?

[TheParser]

***** NOT A TEACHER *****


Hello,

1. The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (1993, page 224) says:

"One spot where high and highly do seem interchangeable is before the participial adjective priced (a high-priced/ a highly priced car)."

2. Webster's Dictionary of English Usage (1989, page 503) says:

"[Roy H.] Copperud [who wrote a book on "good" English in] 1970 expresses a preference for high-priced over highly priced."

3. I googled "highly priced cars." I was unable to find one result. It seems that "everybody" uses "high-priced cars."

*****

Therefore, it seems that "Rich people drive high-priced cars" is more idiomatic (the way native speakers use their

language) than is "Rich people drive highly priced cars."


James