COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives are joined together to modify the same noun.
They are usually written with a hyphen (e.g. good-looking, sun-tanned …). Its meaning is normally clear
from the words it combines. The second part of the compound adjective is often a present or past participle.
A lot of compound adjectives describe a person’s appearance, character, and situation.

I Match the adjectives with their II Fill in the gaps with the compound adjectives from
meanings. exercise I. One word is given in brackets.
1 well-off A attractive 1. Mary is very 1___________ (fashion) and she loves
2 laid-back B totally new wearing 2________ (new) designer clothes.

3 good-looking C famous 2. Brad Pitt is a really 3______ (known) actor and he’s
very 4___________ (good) – everybody likes him.
4 ready-made D rich
3. Kate is always so 5________ (back) about everything.
5 fashion-conscious E relaxed
4. His visit left an 6 ________ (lasting) impression on me.
6 well-known F eternal
5. John worked long hours and became very 7_____ (off).
7 heart-broken G inflexible
6. We have no 8 _________ (made) answers.
8 ever-lasting H depressed
7. Our new boss is so 9___________ (minded), he is not
9 narrow-minded I stylish ready to listen to or tolerate the views of others.
10 brand-new J can be used 8. Alan was really 10________ (broken) when Sarah left
immediately him.

III Match the definitions to the compound adjectives. The words are given in the box. There are more
words than needed.

absent-minded narrow-minded thick-skinned short-tempered badly-behaved two-faced

cold-hearted strong-minded fashion-conscious easy-going big-headed

1 Sam is not easily upset or offended by what other people say about him. He is
____________________. 2Mr. Brown gets angry very easily. He is
________________________________________.

3 My sister usually gets what she wants. She is ___________________________________.

4 Ann is insensitive and she always tries to tell people whatever she thinks will please them. She is
______________________.

5 One little boy was very ________________________________; he kept shouting during lunch.

6 Jill had a nice time with Jeremy – he’s good company and very _______________________________.

7 Mrs. Smith is getting more ________________________________ as she gets older.

 IV . Match the sentence halves.
1 It was such a far-
2 We’re taking a much-
3 My uncle used to be a highly
4 She’s so single-
5 Your actions could have far-
1. 6Match the sentence
The film is a light- halves.
7 Being absent-
8 She made a half-
a hearted look at the world of fashion.
b needed break in the country next
weekend.
c reaching consequences for all of us.
d minded, I often forget things.
e fetched story that no one believed him.
f hearted effort, but wasn’t really trying.
g trained athlete many years ago.
h minded that you won’t change her
decision.

V Complete the sentences with the words below.

breath high mouth old second thought time

1 We had a …………………………taking view from the top of the mountain.

2 This phone is considered very …………………………-fashioned nowadays.
3 I’d never eaten such …………………………-watering dishes before I visited Thailand.
4 Last night’s TV fashion documentary was informative and …………………………-
provoking.
5 If you don’t like …………………………-spirited dogs, I don’t recommend this breed.
6 Despite all the …………………………-saving devices I own, I always seem to be busy!
7 Most people own …………………………-hand cars as new ones are so expensive.

VI. Complete the sentences with a compound adjective formed from the word in
brackets.
1 It may be an interesting article, but it’s not very ………………………… (write).
2 If Zoe’s as ………………………… (look) as her sister, she must be really beautiful!
3 Isn’t that man sitting opposite a ………………………… (known) singer?
4 This job’s only suitable for people from ………………………… (speak) countries such
as the UK or Australia.
5 Japan is a very ………………………… (populated) country.
6 Travelling into space must be a ………………………… (blow) experience!
7 I’m always ………………………… (eye) until I’ve had some coffee.
 VII. Choose the correct options (a-c) to complete the text below.
It may be surprising, but scientists still have no 1…….. explanation for why we
dream. There are plenty of 2…….. facts about dreams, but little agreement about
their purpose. Many 3…….. scientists think that dreams allow a 4…….. opportunity
for the brain to clear its ‘hard disk’ while we sleep. Others are more interested in the
meaning of dreams, and although it may seem 5…….., some people are said to have
predicted the future while dreaming. There is much that is 6…….. about dreams, so
when you next wake up 7…….. from a good night’s sleep, why not try writing down
your dreams as soon as you wake up? Because apparently, 95% of what you dream
is forgotten before you get out of bed!
1 a single-minded b straightforward c far-reaching
2 a well-known b good-looking c well-written

3 a mind-blowing b highly respected c badly paid

4 a time-saving b second-hand c much-needed
5 a far-fetched b half-hearted c high-spirited
6 a upcoming b thought-provoking c old-fashioned
7 a light-hearted b bleary-eyed c absent-minded

VIII. Complete the sentences with compound adjectives formed from the words in
brackets.
1 The film was more than a little ………………………… . It was completely unbelievable!
(fetch)
2 I’ve just read a rather ………………………… article. I’ll send it to you, if you like.
(provoke)

3 Max is still a bit ………………………… because he’s only just got up. (eye)

4 The size of the new stadium is ………………………… . It’s absolutely huge! (blow)

5 Once again, Usain Bolt has given another ………………………… performance in the
100 metres. (break)

6 There are so many ………………………… desserts on the menu. I don’t know which
one to choose! (water)