Compound Adjectives: Useful Rules & Examples

This reference explores the concept of compound adjectives, their various types, and how to use them effectively in writing and speech. You will learn about descriptive compound adjectives, origin compound adjectives, and those formed from verbs. Also covered are the rules for hyphenation and common mistakes to avoid. Understanding these elements will enhance your language skills and add clarity to your communication.

Understanding Compound Adjectives

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Compound adjectives combine two or more words to modify a noun or pronoun. They make your language more precise and descriptive. These adjectives consist of different parts of speech, like nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and participles.

For instance, think of “well-known.” Here, “well” is an adjective, and “known” is a past participle. Together, they tell you how familiar something or someone is. Another example is “fast-paced,” with “fast” being an adjective and “paced” a noun. It shows how quick or lively something might be.

When these adjectives appear before a noun, they usually have a hyphen. This hyphen helps to make sure the words work together. So you would say “a fast-paced environment” or “a well-known celebrity.”

You can also create compound adjectives by joining two or more nouns. For example, “fire truck” or “coffee table.” These compound nouns can describe other nouns as in “fire truck sirens” or “coffee table book.”

Types of Compound Adjectives

Descriptive Compound Adjectives

Descriptive compound adjectives combine two or more adjectives to describe a noun. They can be linked by a hyphen or written separately. Some examples are:

• Fast-paced
• Well-known
• Old-fashioned
• Yellow-striped

Origin Compound Adjectives

Origin compound adjectives combine a noun with an adjective that describes its origin. These are often used to describe food, drinks, and products. Examples include:

• French-made
• Italian-style
• American-made
• Chinese-inspired

Compound Adjectives from Verbs

Compound adjectives from phrasal verbs combine a verb and a preposition with a noun or an adjective. Examples are:

• Breakneck
• Cut-and-dried
• Run-of-the-mill
• Stand-alone

Formation of Compound Adjectives

Hyphenated Compound Adjectives

Hyphenated compound adjectives join two or more words with a hyphen. This clarifies the meaning and avoids confusion. Here are some examples:

• well-known
• fast-paced
• high-speed
• time-consuming
• light-hearted

Unhyphenated Compound Adjectives

Unhyphenated compound adjectives combine words without a hyphen. They are less common and can be ambiguous. Examples include:

• handmade
• everyday
• worldwide
• lifelong
• outspoken

Some compound adjectives can be either hyphenated or unhyphenated based on preference.

Compound Adjectives by Combination

Adjective + Past Participle

• narrow-minded
  He was too narrow-minded and prejudiced and bigoted.
• high-spirited
  Sophie’s a high-spirited young girl.
• old-fashioned
  An old-fashioned bell tinkled as he pushed open the door.
• short-haired
  He was dancing with a short-haired woman.
• absent-minded
  The actress was so absent-minded that she fluffed her lines.
• strong-willed
  She’s very strong-willed and if she’s decided to leave school, nothing will stop her.
• quick-witted
  He proved himself a quick-witted negotiator.
• kind-hearted
  Everyone says he is a kind-hearted man.

Adverb + Past Participle

• well-behaved
  He is an obedient and well-behaved child.
• well-educated
  I come from a well-educated family.
• densely-populated
  The Republic of Malta is a small and densely-populated island nation in southern Europe.
• widely-recognized
  She’s a widely-recognized expert in technology.
• highly-respected
  Our speaker tonight is a highly-respected scholar.
• brightly-lit
  He walked into the brightly-lit kitchen, opened the fridge, took out a bottle of water.

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.

Common Mistakes and Misunderstandings

Incorrect Hyphenation

Incorrect hyphenation in compound adjectives is a frequent mistake. When a compound adjective like “well known” modifies a noun, it should be hyphenated: well-known author. When it’s not modifying a noun, it shouldn’t be hyphenated: The author is well known. For more on predicate adjectives, see this link.

Confusion with Compound Nouns

There is often confusion between compound adjectives and compound nouns. Compound nouns act as a single noun, while compound adjectives describe a noun. For instance:

• Compound Noun: fire truck (a type of vehicle)
• Compound Adjective: fire-fighting (in “fire-fighting equipment”)

Understanding the difference is key to using them correctly in writing.

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An experienced English grammar teacher since 2015, with a dedication to helping students improve their language skills.

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