COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

A compound adjective consists of an adjective, adverb or noun which consequently modifies another adjective, noun or
verb linking it. We usually hyphenate the words in order to avoid confusion between them. Take a look at the examples:
heavy-metal detector vs heavy metal detector
Although they are both correct, they do not have the same meaning. The first example refers to a device that detects
heavy metal. The second is made of metal, and the detector is heavy.

NOTE: Use a hyphen when the compound adjective comes BEFORE the noun it modifies, but not when it comes
AFTER the noun. However, In general, you may omit the hyphen if there is no ambiguity in sense or sound.

This is a world-famous museum. vs This museum is world famous.

We walked into a brightly-lit room. vs We walked into a room that was brightly lit.

Various references to combinations of two or more colours are also distinguished by the use or omission of hyphens.
For example, compare: She has only black and white shoes. vs She has only black-and-white shoes.

The first means that all of the person’s shoes are either black or white, but the second means that the person’s shoe
collection consists only of shoes in which each pair is black and white combined.
“Yellow, pink, and red flowers” refers to flowers coloured yellow, pink, or red, whereas “yellow-pink-and-red flowers”
denotes tri coloured flowers.

FORMATION OF COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

ADJECTIVE + ADJECTIVE A yellow-green olive.

ADJECTIVE + NOUN A long-distance runner

ADJECTIVE + NOUN + ED A bad-tempered boss.

ADJECTIVE + PRESENT PARTICIPLE A good-looking man.

ADVERB + ADJECTIVE A part-time job.

ADVERB + ADJECTIVE + ED (false participle) A deeply-rooted problem.

ADVERB + PAST PARTICIPLE A brightly-lit room.

ADVERB + NOUN + ED Well-mannered children.

NOUN + ADJECTIVE A world-famous singer.

NOUN + PAST PARTICIPLE Sun-dried tomatoes.

NUMBER + ADJECTIVE / NOUN Three-legged race.

PAST PARTICIPLE + NOUN +ED A broken-hearted friend.

MORE EXAMPLES
As you will see, the possibilities are immense. As compound adjectives are so flexible, we can describe
situations, things, someone’s facial features, physical appearance or personality simply by combining two
or more words to create a new adjective. It is important to learn them because not only are they
constantly being used in the English language, but also enhance all types of compositions.

absent-minded distraído open-minded sin prejuicios

bloody-minded malintencionado single-minded decidido
broad-minded tolerante small-minded cerrado
 narrow-minded intolerante strong-minded decidido
weak-minded sin carácter
well-adjusted equilibrado
well-advised prudente well-attended muy concurrido
well-appointed equipada / ubicada / dotada well-balanced bien equilibrado
well-dressed bien vestido well-behaved (niño) educado
well-earned bien merecido well-bred culto /bien educado
well-educated culto / instruido well-known muy conocido
well-groomed con buen aspecto well-made bien hecho / fabricado/
badly-off pobre well-off adinerado
far-off lejano / remoto badly-behaved mal criado /que se porta mal
one-off único perfectly-behaved comportamiento perfecto

blue-collar obrero ill-advised mal aconsejado

white collar oficinista ill-bred mal educado
broken-down averiado ill-conceived mal planteado
ill-disposed estar mal predispuesto
even-tempered ecuánime / apacible ill-equipped mal equipado
foul-tempered de un humor de perros ill-fated funesto
hot-tempered con mal genio ill-fitting que no está bien de talla
hot-blooded apasionado ill/bad-tempered malhumorado/áspero
cold-blooded despiadado
deep-fried frito en abundante aceite
brown-eyed de ojos marrones hard-working trabajador
cross-eyed bizco never-ending interminable
dewy-eyed ingenuo mouth-watering que hace la boca agua
dry-eyed sin llorar high-flying ambicioso
sharp-eyed observador home-sick tener morriña
starry-eyed romántico/soñador fair-haired rubio
wide-eyed con los ojos bien abiertos raven-haired con el pelo negro

even-handed imparcial big-headed creído

high-handed despótico big-hearted generoso
left-handed zurdo broken-hearted
open-handed generoso descorazonado/abatido/desolado
right-handed diestro bold-hearted valiente
single-handed sin ayuda/solo faint-hearted pusilánime
short-handed con falta de mano de obra good-hearted con buen corazón
half-hearted poco entusiasta
light-hearted desenfadado hard-hearted duro de corazón
open-hearted franco / generoso kind-hearted con buen corazón
soft-hearted compasivo
tender-hearted tierno de corazón fresh-faced saludable / lozano / sin
warm-hearted cariñoso experiencia
whole-hearted incondicional pasty-faced pálido
two-faced falso / hipócrita poker-faced con cara impasible / con cara de
póquer
good-humoured de buen humour straight-faced con expresión seria
good-looking de buen ver old-fashioned anticuado / pasado de moda
long-awaited anhelado/muy esperado tight-fisted tacaño / agarrado
long-eared orejas largas tight-fitting muy ceñido
long-faced descontento skin-tight muy ajustado
long-lasting duradero
long-legged de piernas largas sweet-toothed goloso
long-lived longevo short-lived efímero
ill-mannered mal educado
never-ending interminable mild-mannered apacible
never-failing infalible / inagotable well-mannered educado
thick-skinned insensible mind-blowing alucinante / increíble
tight-lipped que mantiene la boca cerrada mind-boggling estupefacto / sobrecogedor
respecto a algo mind-reading que adivina pensamientos
thin-skinned sensible
paper-thin muy fino/ casi transparente

EXERCISES:
https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/english-compound-adjectives4.html
https://www.learnenglishfeelgood.com/vocabulary/english-compound-adjectives3.html
 EXERCISES IN MAKING COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

A. Insert the appropriate compound adjectives.

1. I have just discovered an insect with many legs that eats fungus in my carrot patch.
I have just discovered a _______________________ insect in my carrot patch.
2. It has red knees and flat feet.
It is _________________________.
3. My professors refuse to believe in my discovery because they have narrow minds; besides, these old fools
drink carrot juice!
My professors refuse to believe in my discovery because they are
______________________; besides, they are _________________________ fools!
4. The surgeon pulled out a worm that was thirty-five centimetres long.
The surgeon pulled out a _______________________ worm.

B. Convert the descriptions of the underlined noun phrases into attributive adjectives.

1. Her daughter is a ping-pong player who slams hard. She has a ...
2. It looked like a trophy that had been hard to win. It looked like a ...
3. Our sumo champion weighs 200 kilograms. We have a ...
4. After that T.V. program, our baby’s hair turned green. We now have a ...
5. The tail of the lizard I caught was three feet long. I caught a lizard with …

C. Rewrite the sentences, converting the descriptions into attributive adjectives.

1. He weighs 200 kilograms and has won the sumo championship three times.
2. I bought a chain-saw for three-hundred dollars and sliced up my neighbour’s
new fence, which was nearly thirty metres long.
3. She writes poems with her right hand and gives compliments with her left.

D. Make a compound adjective out of the words in bold and put it into the correct place in the
sentence:

1. "Her daughter’s eyes are crossed."

2. The farmer's pony finally died when it was ten years old.
3. His wife, like himself, had a peculiarly sinister mind.
4. She pointed out to her husband that his position did not pay.
very well, and that sanitation costs were very high.
5. She suggested a clever plan to save money.
6. They dug a huge hole six feet deep in the ground.
7. This project took them six hours and twenty-five minutes.
8. Then they dropped the pony in the hole. The "thump" sound would have made
your blood curdle.
9. Their horrified neighbours came running, some carrying First Aid kits, others
camcorders. This is not surprising at all! These people were all educated by
television, and all their lives, they had watched programs that numb the mind
and erode the I.Q.
SUGGESTED ANSWERS:

A. Insert the appropriate compound adjectives.

1. I have just discovered a MANY-LEGGED, FUNGUS-EATING insect in my carrot patch.
2. It is RED-KNEED AND FLAT-FOOTED.
3. My professors refuse to believe in my discovery because they are NARROW-MINDED; besides, they
are CARROT-JUICE-DRINKING OLD fools! (...narrow-minded, carrot-juice-drinking old fools)
4. The surgeon pulled out a THIRTY-FIVE-CENTIMETRE worm.

B. Convert the descriptions of the underlined noun phrases into attributive adjectives.
1. Her daughter is a ping-pong player who slams hard. She has a DAUGHTER WHO IS A HARD-SLAMMING
PING-PONG PLAYER
2. It looked like a trophy that had been hard to win. It looked like a HARD-WON TROPHY
3. Our sumo champion weighs 200 kilograms. We have a 200-KG SUMO CHAMPION
4. After that T.V. program, our baby’s hair turned green. We now have a GREEN-HAIRED BABY
5. The tail of the lizard I caught was three feet long. I caught a lizard with A THREE-FOOT TAIL

C. Rewrite the sentences, converting the descriptions into attributive adjectives.

1. He weighs 200 kilograms and has won the sumo championship three times.
HE IS A 200-KG, THREE-TIME SUMO CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER
2. I bought a chain-saw for three-hundred dollars and sliced up my neighbour’s new fence, which was nearly
thirty metres long.
I BOUGHT A THREE-HUNDRED-DOLLAR CHAIN-SAW AND SLICED UP MY NEIGHBOUR’S NEW THIRTY-METER FENCE.
3. She writes poems with her right hand and gives compliments with her left.
SHE IS A RIGHT-HANDED POET WHO GIVES LEFT-HANDED COMPLIMENTS

D.
1. Her cross-eyed daughter
2. The farmer's ten-year-old pony.
3. His peculiarly sinister-minded wife.
4. A not very well-paid position.
5. A clever money-saving plan.
6. A huge six-foot-deep hole.
7. A six-hour-(and)twenty-five-minute project.
8. A blood-curdling "thump".
9. Television-educated