Compound Adjectives in English: A Brief Overview

You might have come across the usage of powerful and descriptive class of words to represent complex concepts. Consider the examples: an ice-cold lemonade, a six-sided die, a three-hour movie and a tight-fisted woman. The noun lemonade is modified to describe its ice-coldness. Similarly the noun woman is modified to describe her attitude. The nouns die and movie are modified to quantify their specifications.

In the English language, adjectives are employed to modify nouns or pronouns i.e. adjectives are employed to describe nouns and pronouns. As told adjectives are employed to clearly modify or specify the noun in terms of its kind (example:Loud noise, Steady beat), its measurable quantity (Some work, Huge building), its specifiers (This book, That record) and its countable number (Three story, Two door). (BBC World Service)You will typically find that an adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

Now we know that adjectives are picture words that provide better perception as to the quality of the noun or pronoun. These word forms are most essential in that they enhance beauty to the written words. Famous poets and prose writers employed a lot of adjectives to augment color and beauty to their creations. What is compound adjective? Compound adjective is a complex and challenging formation. It modifies the noun, with the two or more worded adjective phrase, to create a new adjective. The adjective phrase is usually written in with a hyphen (-). Its meaning is usually clear from the words it combines. (Wikipedia)

ADJECTIVE + PRESENT / PAST PARTICIPLE

Let us consider some examples:

1) Absent-minded = forgetful (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

2) Big-headed = proud of one's self (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

3) Cold-blooded = a kind of classification of animals (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

4) Easy-going = easy unobstructed progress (The second part of the compound adjective is Present Participle)

5) Good-looking = attractive, beautiful (The second part of the compound adjective is Present Participle)

6) In-the-middle-aged = being roughly between 45 and 65 years old (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

7) Left-handed = having long legs (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

8) Quick-witted = intelligent (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

9) Thick-skinned = not easily offended (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)

The second part of the compound adjective is usually a present participle or past participle.

ADJECTIVE + ADVERB + PRESENT / PAST PARTICIPLE

Let us consider some examples:

1) Far-reaching = Having a wide range, influence, or effect

2) Free-standing = Standing or operating independently of anything else

3) Good-looking = Of a pleasing or attractive appearance; handsome

4) Hard-wearing = Hard to beat

5) Labor-saving = Designed to replace or conserve human and especially manual labor

6) Long-lasting = Existing for a long time

7) Mouth-watering = Appealing to the sense of taste

8) Never-ending = Not ending

9) Record-breaking = Surpassing any previously established record

ADVERB +ADJECTIVE

The adverbs intensify the meaning of the adjectives they modify. Let us consider some examples:

1) Almost helpless

2) Extremely Painful

3) Quite fiercely

4) Rather selfish

5) So grateful

6) Very excited

7) Very remarkable

ADJECTIVE + NOUN

1) Busy Day = Engaged in activity throughout the day

2) Curly hair = Hair having curls

3) Deep-sea = of or taking place in the deeper parts of the sea

4) Friendly People = People having friendly attitude

5) Full-length = Showing or fitted to the entire length, especially of the human body or Of a normal or standard length

6) Last-minute = The period just before a significant or concluding moment such as a deadline, due date, or scheduled event

7) Lonely house = House located at a lonely place

8) Lovely person = Person having lovely manners

9) Prime Minister = Head of Cabinet of Ministers

NOUN + ADJECTIVE

1) Trouble-free = without problems or difficulties

2) Lead-free = not containing the element lead

3) World-famous = Most famous

NUMBER + NOUN+ ADJECTIVE

1) Eleven-man team

2) Forty-mile Having forty miles distance

3) Four-Stroke = having four stroke

4) One-Eyed = having only one eye

5) One-layered disk = Disk having single layer

6) Single-Handed = done by one person

7) Six-and-a-half-year-old child = Child's age

8) Six-Sided = having six sides

9) Sixteen-week semester = Duration of Semester

10) Three-legged stool = Stool having three legs

11) Three-storey house = House having three floors

12) Twenty-Page = Having twenty page

13) Two-bedroom flat

14) Two-car garage = Garage for parking two cars

15) Two-Stroke = engine having two strokes

16) Two-Door = Having two doors

17) Sweetheart = a person whom another loves

PLACE + NOUN/ADJECTIVE

1) Farm-fresh = Fresh from farms

2) Indian Bazaar = a specific place or market wherein you will find Indian shops, restaurants.

3) housewife = a married woman devoted to work for her family and attends all house hold activities at home

4) home-made = prepared at home, not bought from a shop

Number of Websites (Ref. Source 1-6) have attempted to organize the English Compound adjectives into digestible chunks. This article is just another attempt. It is a mere compilation. As a successful writer you may be knowing how to use these compound adjectives correctly. However I have slightly improved my grammar knowledge by attempting to write this piece.

Source:

1) BBC World Service - Learning English - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv224.shtml

2) English Rules - Hyphens for Compound Adjectives -http://www.englishrules.com/writing/2005/hyphens-for-compound-adjectives.php

3) Knowledgebush - Compound noun and adjective http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Compound_noun_and_adjective/

4) Using compound adjectives to give physical or metaphorical descriptions http://www.iei.uiuc.edu/structure/Structure1/haired.html

5) Wikipedia - English compound - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_compound

6) Your Dictionary - ESL Compound Adjective Worksheet -http://www.yourdictionary.com/esl/ESL-Compound-Adjective-Worksheet.html