What are compound adjectives?
Compound adjectives are adjectives that are made up of two or more words usually with hyphens (-) between them.
Examples:
- An English-speaking country.
- A time-saving gadget.
- A thirty-floor building.
How are compound adjectives formed?
Compound adjectives can be formed as follows:
- Adverb-past participle / noun + ed
a well-known writer
a brightly-lit room
deeply-rooted traditions
a well-mannered girl- Adjective-present participle (verb + ing)
a good-looking boy
a free-standing tower- Noun-past participle
a tongue-tied boy
a sun-dried fruit- Adjective-past participle / noun + ed
a short-sighted man
a long-haired lady- Noun- adjective
a world-famous singer- Adjective- noun
a last minute solution
deep-sea diving- Noun-noun
a part-time job
Vocabulary Exercises: Compound Adjectives
Choose the correct answer
- well- mannered
- brand- new
- deeply- rooted
- short- sighted
- old- fashioned
Choose the right compound adjective from the exercise above.
- When Brian got his promotion, he bought a brand-new
car.
- Look at Leila . She's wearing an old-fashioned
- Nancy is such a short-sighted
- Some people think that we should preserve the deeply-rooted
- Cathy is a well-mannered
Choose the appropriate compound adjectives:
- The criminal was caught red-handed
- People should be tolerant towards other cultures. They should be open-minded
- Sarah couldn't answer the teacher’s question because she was absent-minded
- Don’t expect him to invite you for dinner. He is tight-fisted
- To be a translator you need to be well-informed
Match the numbers with the letters:
Compound adjectives | Meaning |
| 1. a well-earned | a- deserved |
| 2. f self-reliant | b- eternal |
| 3. c narrow-minded | c- inflexible |
| 4. b ever-lasting | e- depressed |
| 5. e heart-broken | f- independent |
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