COMPOUND

ADJECTİVES
By Eng. Jimena Riera
WHAT IS AN ADJECTIVE
• AN ADJECTIVE IS A WORD THAT DESCRIBES SOMETHING.

• A RED CAR (RED IS AN ADJECTIVE BECAUSE IT DESCRIBES THE CAR.

HOW IS THE CAR? RED)

• A BIG BOOK (BIG IS AN ADJECTIVE BECAUSE IT DESCRIBES THE

BOOK. HOW IS THE BOOK? BIG)

• BUT SOMETIMES WE USE MORE THAN ONE ADJECTIVE TO

DESCRIBE SOMETHING.
COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
•A compound adjective is sometimes called a hyphenated adjective.
What are they?
•Let's look at the following sentences:

• I saw a man-eating alligator.
• I saw a man eating alligator.

•The first sentence contains a compound adjective.

•The second sentence doesn’t.

•However the meaning of the two sentences are very different as can
be seen in the picture below:
• I saw a man-eating alligator.
We are describing the
alligator. What type of
alligator is it? It is one that
eats men (or people).

• I saw a man eating alligator.

This sentence without the
hyphen sounds like a man is
eating an alligator.
(Man is the subject, eating is
the verb, alligator is the
object or thing that is being
eaten).

• As you can see, the hyphen

(or lack of it) makes a big
difference in the meaning of
the sentence.
COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
• A compound adjective is an adjective that contains two or more words.
• In general we put a hyphen between two or more words (before a noun) when
we want them to act as a single idea (adjective) that describes something.

• E.g.
• I live in an English-speaking country.

• English-speaking is an adjective (used to describe the country). We use a

hyphen to connect the word English with speaking to show that it is one
adjective (or one idea).

• THIS ADJECTIVE WITH TWO WORDS JOINED BY THE HYPHEN IS CALLED A COMPOUND ADJECTIVE.
• SOME MORE EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND ADJECTIVES ARE:

• OUR OFFICE IS IN A TWENTY-STOREY BUILDING.

• I HAVE JUST FINISHED READING A 300-PAGE BOOK.
• HE IS A WELL-KNOWN WRITER.
FORMING COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
• ADJECTIVE + PAST PARTICIPLE • ABSENT-MINDED
• NARROW-MINDED • THE ACTRESS WAS SO ABSENT-MINDED THAT
SHE FLUFFED HER LINES.
• HE WAS TOO NARROW-MINDED AND
PREJUDICED AND BIGOTED. • STRONG-WILLED
• HIGH-SPIRITED • SHE’S VERY STRONG-WILLED AND IF SHE’S
DECIDED TO LEAVE SCHOOL, NOTHING WILL
• SOPHIE’S A HIGH-SPIRITED YOUNG GIRL. STOP HER.
• OLD-FASHIONED
• QUICK-WITTED
• AN OLD-FASHIONED BELL TINKLED AS HE
PUSHED OPEN THE DOOR. • HE PROVED HIMSELF A QUICK-
WITTED NEGOTIATOR.
• SHORT-HAIRED
• KIND-HEARTED
• HE WAS DANCING WITH A SHORT-
HAIRED WOMAN. • EVERYONE SAYS HE IS A KIND-HEARTED MAN.
ADVERB + PAST
PARTICIPLE
• •
WELL-BEHAVED SHE’S A WIDELY-
RECOGNIZED EXPERT IN
• HE IS AN OBEDIENT AND WELL-
BEHAVED CHILD. TECHNOLOGY.

• WELL-EDUCATED • HIGHLY-RESPECTED
• I COME FROM A WELL- • OUR SPEAKER TONIGHT IS
EDUCATED FAMILY. A HIGHLY-RESPECTED SCHOLAR.

• DENSELY-POPULATED • BRIGHTLY-LIT
• THE REPUBLIC OF MALTA IS A SMALL • HE WALKED INTO THE BRIGHTLY-
LIT KITCHEN, OPENED THE FRIDGE,
AND DENSELY-POPULATED ISLAND
TOOK OUT A BOTTLE OF WATER.
NATION IN SOUTHERN EUROPE.

• WIDELY-RECOGNIZED
NOUN + PAST PARTICIPLE

• SUN-BAKED
• WE STROLLED ALONG THE SUN-BAKED STREETS OF NAPLES.
• CHILD-WANTED
• I WANTED TO BUY MY DAUGHTER THE MOST CHILD-
WANTED TOY.

• MIDDLE-AGED
• I NOTICED TWO MIDDLE-AGED PASSENGERS.
NOUN + PRESENT
PARTICIPLE
• ENGLISH-SPEAKING
• UNITED KINGDOM IS AN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRY.
• TIME-SAVING
• WE SPEND A FORTUNE ON THE LATEST TIME-SAVING GADGETS.
• RECORD-BREAKING
• THE SHOW HAD A RECORD-BREAKING RUN IN THE LONDON THEATRE.
• MOUTH-WATERING
• THE WAITRESS CAME ROUND WITH A TRAY OF MOUTH-WATERING CREAM CAKES.
• THOUGHT-PROVOKING
• THE FILM HAD A THOUGHT-PROVOKING  MESSAGE.
ADJECTIVE + PRESENT
PARTICIPLE
• GOOD-LOOKING
• HE WAS TALL AND QUITE GOOD-LOOKING.
• LONG-LASTING
• THE IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON CHILDREN CAN BE LONG-LASTING.
• SLOW-MOVING
• HE WAS STUCK IN A LINE OF SLOW-MOVING TRAFFIC.
• FAR-REACHING
• OUR FINDINGS HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES FOR
RESEARCHERS.
ADVERB + PRESENT
PARTICIPLE

• NEVER-ENDING
• WRITING A DICTIONARY IS A NEVER-ENDING TASK.
• FORWARD-THINKING
• SOME FORWARD-THINKING POLITICIANS ARE PROPOSING
REFORMS TO THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
NOUN + ADJECTIVE

• WORLD-FAMOUS
• HIS BOOKS ARE WORLD-FAMOUS.
• ICE-COLD
• I’D LOVE AN ICE-COLD BEER.

• SMOKE-FREE
• THIS IS A SMOKE-FREE RESTAURANT.
ADJECTIVE + NOUN

• FULL-LENGTH
• A FULL-LENGTH PORTRAIT OF THE QUEEN HUNG ON THE
WALL.

• LAST-MINUTE
• IT WAS A LAST-MINUTE DECISION.
NOUN + NOUN

• PART-TIME
• WE HAVE 20 PART-TIME MEMBERS OF STAFF .
ADJECTIVE + ADJECTIVE

• FAT-FREE
• YOU CAN PUT IT OVER FROZEN YOGURT, FAT-FREE ICE
CREAM, WHATEVER YOU LIKE.
1. FAR-FETCHED
• VERY UNLIKELY
• DIFFICULT TO BELIEVE AND
UNLIKELY TO BE TRUE,
UNBELIEVABLE

• DOUBTFUL, NOT REALISTIC

• HER STORY ABOUT BEING CHASED AWAY FROM

SCHOOL BY ALIENS SEEMS PRETTY FAR-FETCHED.

• THE IDEA OF TRAVELLING TO OTHER SOLAR

SYSTEMS MAY SOUND FAR-FETCHED BUT
SCIENTISTS NOW SEE IT AS A REAL POSSIBILITY.
2. ILL-ADVİSED
• UNWISE
• NOT CAREFULLY CONSIDERED
• YOU WOULD BE ILL-ADVISED TO
GO OUT ALONE AT NIGHT.

• HIS WAS RISKY AND PROVED TO

BE AN EXTREMELY ILL-ADVISED
TACTIC.

• ONE DOUBTS THAT ANY THREAT

ECOSYSTEM WILL CRASH FROM
AN ILL-ADVISED PROJECT HERE
AND THERE. ill-advised project
3. LIGHT-HEARTED
•FUN OR CAREFREE
•CHEERFUL, HAPPY
•NOT SERIOUS
• THE FILM TAKES A LIGHT-HEARTED
LOOK AT LIFE IN PRISON.
•THEY WERE LIGHT-HEARTED AND
PREPARED TO ENJOY LIFE.
•I FOUND HER IN A LIGHT-HEARTED
MOOD.
•THE SONG WAS WRITTEN IN
A LIGHT-HEARTED JOYFUL WAY.
 4. STONY-FACED
• LOOKING ANGRY
• SERIOUS, UNSMILING

• ON EACH OCCASION THE JUDGES SAT

STONY-FACED AND SAID THAT THEY
HAD HEARD NOTHING NEW.

• TONY STARED AT ME IN STONY-FACED

SILENCE.

• MY KIDS AND I THOUGHT THIS WAS

HILARIOUS, BUT MY WIFE SAT
THROUGH THE DEMONSTRATION
STONY-FACED.
5. WORLDLY-WISE

• EXPERIENCED
• KNOWING
• HAVING OR SHOWING A
LOT OF EXPERIENCE
AND KNOWLEDGE
ABOUT LIFE AND THE
WORLD
• SHE'S VERY WORLDLY-WISE FOR HER AGE.
• SHE PUT ON A WORLDLY-WİSE EXPRESSİON O HER FACE BEFORE
ANSWERİNG THE QUESTİON OF TWO YOUNG MEN.
6. WRINKLE-FREE
• WİTHOUT WRİNKLES
7. FAR-REACHING
• HAVING A GREAT INFLUENCE OR EFFECT
• FAR-REACHING REFORMS/PROPOSALS/CHANGES/EFFECTS
• WIDE, BROAD, LARGE
• THE COUNTRY CARRIED OUT FAR-REACHING REFORMS TO
MODERNIZE ITS ECONOMY.

• TOURISM HAS HAD FAR-REACHING EFFECTS ON THE ISLAND’S

CULTURE.

• THESE NEW LAWS WILL HAVE FAR-REACHING BENEFITS FOR ALL

WORKING MOTHERS.

• THE CHANGES OF THE 1980S WERE MORE FAR-REACHING THAN

THOSE OF THE 1930S.
8. ILL-TIMED

• HIS REMARKS WERE ILL-TIMED.

• AN ILL-TIMED COMMENT
• AN ILL-TIMED PHONE CALL
DONE OR MADE AT A
WRONG OR UNSUITABLE
TIME: • HIS REMARKS WERE ILL-
HAPPENING, DONE, OR TIMED.
SAID AT THE WRONG TIME
UNTIMELY
•AN ILL-TIMED COMMENT
OPP WELL-TIMED •AN ILL-TIMED PHONE CALL
9. KIND-HEARTED

• A KIND-HEARTED PERSON IS
ONE WHO LIKES OTHER
PEOPLE A LOT AND ALWAYS
WANTS TO HELP THEM.

• WARMHEARTED
• SYMPATHETIC
• I WOULDN'T HAVE HELPED
HIM AT ALL, BUT THEN I'M
NOT AS KIND-HEARTED AS
YOU.
• BEING A KIND-HEARTED
WOMAN, SHE FELT SORRY
FOR THE POOR CHILD.
10. TWO-FACED
• SOMEONE WHO IS TWO-FACED
IS NOT SINCERE, SAYING
UNPLEASANT THINGS ABOUT
YOU TO OTHER PEOPLE WHILE
SEEMING TO BE PLEASANT
WHEN THEY ARE WITH YOU
• HE’S A TWO-FACED LIAR.

• I'VE NEVER MET ANYONE SO

TWO-FACED: SHE'S SWEET AND
CHARMING TO YOUR FACE,
AND THEN GOES AND
COMPLAINS ABOUT YOU TO
THE BOSS!

• I DON'T TRUST HER - I SUSPECT

SHE'S A BIT TWO-FACED.
11. STREETWISE

• ABLE TO DEAL WITH THE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS AND PEOPLE

THAT ARE COMMON IN SOME CITIES AND TOWNS

• ABLE TO DEAL SUCCESSFULLY WITH DANGEROUS OR DIFFICULT

SITUATIONS IN BIG TOWNS OR CITIES WHERE THERE IS A LOT OF
CRIME
• COPELAND IS A STREETWISE COP WHO
KNOWS HOW TO TAKE CARE OF
HIMSELF.

• HE SEEMED VERY STREETWISE FOR A

KID WHO HAD JUST LEFT SCHOOL.

• ZACCHARY IS A STREETWISE GUY

FROM NEW YORK, A GAMBLER WHO
GREW UP PLAYING THE HORSES AT
BELMONT PARK.

• MCDONALD WAS AS STREETWISE AS

ANY OF THE CRIMINALS HE HAD
INVESTIGATED.

• A STREETWISE DETECTIVE
12. TAX-FREE
• IF SOMETHING IS TAX-FREE,
YOU DO NOT PAY TAX ON IT.

• MANY BASIC FOODSTUFFS,

SUCH AS BREAD AND MILK,
ARE TAX-FREE.

• IT IS A REGULAR, TAX-FREE
CASH PAYMENT FOR
WORKING PEOPLE WITH
CHILDREN, SELF-EMPLOYED
PEOPLE AND LONE PARENTS.