Compound adjectives and further information

Compound adjectives consist of more than one word and are usually hyphenated. They are formed in different ways. Here are some examples:

 

Construction

Examples

 

number + noun

 

a 4-hour flight

a three-week supply

two-bedroom apartments

a 20-page report

a 15-minute presentation

 

 

adjective + noun

 

 

 

free-range eggs

a last-minute change

a full-length dress

deep-sea diving

a middle-class area

 

 

adjective + present participle

 

easy-going colleagues

a hard-working manager

a long-lasting relationship

French-speaking Canada

a good-looking man

 

 

noun + present participle

 

labour-saving devices

record-breaking profits

mouth-watering fruit

fun-loving friends

a man-eating shark

 

 

adjective + past participle

[see note below]

 

kind-hearted people

middle-aged men

a left-handed tennis player

a dark-haired woman

old-fashioned values

 

 

adverb + past participle

[often with 'well']

 

a well-known actor

a well-written book

well-dressed people

a brightly-lit room

densely-populated towns

 

 

noun + past participle

 

sun-tanned tourists

a customer-focused company

a nuclear-powered industry

a Paris-based team

corn-fed chickens

 

 

noun + adjective

 

a world-famous singer

sky-blue curtains

a cost-effective solution

a smoke-free zone

user-friendly instructions

 

 

comparative or superlative adjective + other word

 

the lowest-priced car

the shorter-term loan

a better-looking man

a lower-risk option

the highest-paid directors

 

 

prefix + other word

[see prefixes for more information]

 

 

a self-motivated individual

anti-government propaganda

post-natal depression

an auto-immune disease

ex-military equipment

 

 

more than two words, sometimes derived from a short phrase or expression

 

an out-of-the-ordinary experience

value-for-money cars

a door-to-door salesman

a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

a five-year-old daughter

 

 

 


 

There are a lot of compound nouns used to describe people in which the second word relates to a part of the body and resembles a past participle although there is no related verb:

 

I have a red-haired daughter and a blond-haired son.

He's tall and broad-shouldered.

 

Here are some more examples:  

 

blue/brown/green-eyed

brown/black/fair/dark-haired

rosy-cheeked

slim-hipped

long-legged

 


 

1.     Most two-word compound adjectives are hyphenated. This is sometimes necessary in order to avoid ambiguity. For example:

                       

I saw a man-eating shark. [I saw a shark - the kind of shark that eats people.]

I saw a man eating shark. [I saw a man who was eating shark.]

 

The hand-delivered invitations were much appreciated.  Image

The hand delivered invitations were much appreciated.  Image  [Because it might seem, when starting to read the sentence, that just a hand and not a person delivered the invitations.]

 

He's a used-book seller.

He's a used book seller. [Are the books used or the seller?]

 

 

2.     We always use hyphens with multi-word adjectives in order to make the meaning clear:

 

It was a never-to-be-forgotten trip.  Image

It was a never to be forgotten trip.  Image

 

 

3.     We do not need to use hyphens when multi-word adjectives aren't directly before the noun. For example:

 

He likes to keep up to date with mobile phone technology.

He was nothing out of the ordinary.

He sells books door to door.

 

            The same is true of adverb + past participles:

 

The room was brightly lit.

The staff were highly motivated.

 

            But those with 'well' remain hyphenated:

 

He isn't well-known in the UK.

Her children are well-behaved.

 

 

4.     The word 'ill' used to be used as an adverb and meant 'badly'. It survives in certain expressions and compound adjectives:

 

The employees in these factories are often ill-treated.

He was ill-prepared for the exam.

 

 

5.     We do not always form a compound adjective when placing an adverb and past participle together. For example:

 

Hyphenated - a descriptive adjective, what something is like

Not hyphenated - primarily about how or when something is done

 

It's a densely-populated area. [crowded]

 

These people have deeply-rooted traditions. [old]

 

It's a widely-held belief. [common]

 

 

It's a publicly run service.

 

 

Their deposit was partially refunded.

 

 

They discussed the recently launched products.

 

 

 

6.     There are different opinions about whether some compound adjectives should be hyphenated at all. If you are unsure, look in a good dictionary for examples.

 

 

7.     Compound adjectives are not fixed in the language so, in informal conversation, we sometimes invent new ones when needed using the above constructions.


 

 

We use adjectives for nationality in the same way as other adjectives - before a noun or after a verb:

 

I met a Spanish man at the conference.

We have a Swedish manager.

He's French.

They look Chinese.

 

However, the adjectives ending in 'an' can also be used alone as nouns:

 

I met a German/an American/an Italian.  Image

I met a Swedish/a French/a Japanese.    Image

 

Note that adjectives relating to countries, continents, states, cities and other regions all begin with a capital letter: 

 

They had to close their European plants.

She has a Parisian boyfriend.

 

Many of them are irregular, including the unusual examples relating to British cities below, so check in a good dictionary if you aren't sure.

 

Liverpool - Liverpudlian

Manchester - Mancunian

Glasgow - Glaswegian


 

 

1.     Some adjectives can be used as nouns with 'the' to talk about a group of people or things:

 

We need to care for the elderly. [= elderly people]

Robin Hood robbed the rich to give to the poor!

We need to forget the old and focus on the new. [e.g. technology, rules, methods]

 

Here are some more examples:

 

the young

the homeless

the unemployed

the brave

the weak

the strong

the necessary

 

 

This includes some adjectives for nationality ending in 'ese', 'ish' and 'ch' when talking about a population generally:

 

The Japanese are often silent for long periods.

There are a lot of cultural differences between the English and the French.

           

With nationalities ending in 'an', no article is necessary - it is possible to use one butwe usually omit it:

 

Americans are often friendly.

Italians enjoy spending time with their family.

 

 

2.     Some but not all adjectives for nationality can be used as nouns with articles to talk about a person. These include the adjectives ending in 'an' and 'i' as well as a few irregular ones such as Greek or Swiss. For example:

 

I spoke to an American/a Pakistani/a Greek at the conference.  Image

I spoke to an English/a French/a Japanese at the conference.   Image

 

            See articles for more information.

 

British and American speakers of English use the same structure in conversation to talk about some foreign meals and restaurants. For example:

 

We always have an Indian on Friday nights.

Have you tried the new Italian in the High Street?

I didn't fancy cooking last night so we ordered a Chinese.

 

 

Adjectives are almost always placed before a noun or after the verb 'to be' but there are some exceptions:

 

 

Before the noun

After the noun or other structures

 

A few adjectives can be placed directly after a noun when they are part of a fixed or archaic expression or title.

 

 

the Attorney General

the President Elect

the Princess Royal

the devil incarnate

a court martial

 

 

The word 'proper' has two meanings.

 

I can't do this job without the proper equipment. [real, correct or suitable]

 

 

I'd like to live in the city proper, not the outskirts. [the actual city, the main part]

 

The delegates are arriving at 10am for coffee but the seminar proper starts at 11.

 

 

Some adjectives appear to be used directly after nouns but, in fact, the sentences are elliptical.

 

 

Some of the adjectives used in this way have more than one meaning.

 

We used all the available resources.

 

It's the only possible option.

 

 

The concerned employees complained to the boss. [the employees were

worried]

 

I spoke to the present manager. [the current manager]

 

 

He's a responsible person. [sensible, reliable]

 

 

 

 

We used all the resources (that were) available.

 

It's the only option (that's) possible.

 

The manager thanked the people concerned. [the appropriate people]

 

 

I spoke to all the managers present. [the managers who were present, in that place]

 

We need to find the person responsible. [the person who did something or is responsible for dealing with something]

 

 

To talk about age or size.

 

 

 

The room is 4m long and 3m wide.

 

He's 30 years old.

 

 

Some adjectives, especially related to feelings, including those ending in 'ed', are not usually used directly before a noun.

 

 

Other examples include adjectives with the prefix 'a'.

 

 

 

 

 

He's a pleased manager. Image

 

I spoke to an annoyed woman. Image

 

 

I think my ill colleagues should stay at home.  Image

 

an awake/asleep/alone/alive person Image

 

 

The manager is pleased. Image

           

She seemed annoyed when I spoke to her. Image

 

My colleagues who are ill should stay at home. Image

 

He's awake. Image

 

I saw someone asleep on the train.  Image

           

 

There are a few adjectives which are only placed directly before a noun.

 

He lives in northern/southern/ eastern/western France.  Image

 

 

We had countless applicants for the job.  Image

           

They have an indoor swimming pool. Image

 

 

His part of France is northern/ southern/ eastern/western. Image 

 

The applicants were countless. Image 

 

They have a swimming pool which is indoor. Image

 

We can use nouns (including gerunds) as adjectives. They answer the question. 'what kind?' or 'for what purpose?' For example:

 

a brain surgeon

history teachers

detective novels

a horror film

football boots

an arctic wolf

a car door

a table leg

a food cupboard

a Christmas cake

 

Note that like others, these adjectives do not take an 's' when the noun is plural:

 

We operate services desks.  Image

We operate service desks.   Image

 

Sometimes, we use more than one noun:

 

           staff development costs

a winter sports clothes shop

           an army truck manufacturing plant

 

And we can use other kinds of adjectives in front of them:

 

           a big winter sports clothes shop

 

 

Note that we do not use commas between nouns which function as adjectives.


Some present participles can be used as adjectives. For example:

 

a laughing man [a man who is/was laughing]

a falling tree

a crying baby

a bleeding hand



Some 'ed' and irregular past participles can be used as adjectives. For example:

 

            an injured dog

            an abandoned car

            a painted wall 

a broken leg

            a lost handbag

            a frozen pizza

 

The past participles that can be used as adjectives are usually those which can be used in a passive sense:

 

baked potatoes [potatoes which were baked by someone]

stolen money [money which was stolen]

 

a laughed man

 

However, there are a few past participles which can't be used in a passive sense but can function as adjectives. For example:

 

            a fallen tree

            an advanced student

a retired lawyer

a married couple

 

If you are unsure, check in a good dictionary.


Note that with nouns as adjectives, the word order is determined by working backwards:

 

a winter sports clothes shop

 

What kind of shop? - clothes. What kind of clothes? - sports clothes. What kind of sports? - winter sports.

 

Before a noun, other adjectives are usually used in the order of the table below:

 

 

Opinion

Size

Age

Shape

Colour

Other

Origin

Material

Purpose

 

lovely

horrible

nice

great

 

big

huge

tiny

tall

 

old

young

new

ancient

 

round

square

oval

triangular

 

red

green

cream

auburn

 

famous

honest

useful

happy

 

French

Asian

northern

oriental

 

wooden

metal

plastic

cotton

 

walking

shopping

holiday

garden

 

 

Note that

 

1.     We don't often use more than two adjectives together.

 

2.     This is a guide rather than a fixed rule. You may see slight variations of this table and sometimes 'opinion' and 'size' are reversed, especially with 'ing' adectives:

 

We had a huge, delicious pizza.

It was a long, boring meeting.

I read a short, interesting article on that topic.



3.     When we use more than one adjective, they usually are separated by commas:

 

We have a small, round, wooden table.

 

Although we tend not to use them after adjectives of opinion:

 

I bought some beautiful red, Italian, leather shoes.



4.     Some adjectives are so closely associated with a noun that the two together are seen as a single unit e.g. 'green tea' or 'short story' so we do not separate them in order to follow the usual rule or use commas:

 

We bought some sparkling white wine.

We bought some white, sparkling wine. Image

 

He's an honest young man. Image

He's a young, honest man. Image

 

I read some old short stories. Image

I read some short, old stories. Image



5.     Adjectives for opinions can be divided into two categories - 'general' and 'specific'. The table above has 'general' examples - these adjectives can be used to describe a wide range of objects or people:

 

a good chair

a good meal

a good manager

 

Sometimes adjectives are more specific to the noun they are describing. For example:

 

a comfortable chair

a delicious meal

a friendly manager

 

            If we use both, the general adjective comes before the specific:

 

a lovely, comfortable chair

a nice, tasty meal

a pleasant, friendly manager

 

 

6.     When we use two adjectives from some of the categories in the table, we separate them with 'and'. If we use more than two, we need commas and 'and':  

 

We have young and old people in this team.

I have a metal and plastic chair.

My scarf is red, green and beige.

 

 

7.     When not placed directly before a noun, the word order is less strict. For example:

 

              My new table is wooden, round and beautiful.



Some adjectives can be categorised as 'base' or 'extreme':

 

Base adjectives

Extreme adjectives

 

cold

hot

good

bad

interesting

hungry

big

attractive

 

freezing

boiling, scorching

wonderful, amazing, brilliant, fabulous

horrible, terrible, awful

fascinating

starving, famished

huge, enormous, gigantic

beautiful, gorgeous

 

This is important when deciding which adverb of degree to use. We use 'very' with base adjectives and 'absolutely' with extreme adjectives:  

 

She lives in a very big house.

She lives in an absolutely enormous house.

 

 We can use 'really' with both kinds of adjectives - it is more conversational than 'very':

           

I saw a really good film last night.

It's really freezing at the moment.

 

Some adjectives can be categorised as 'gradable' or 'non-gradable'.   We use gradable adjectives for qualities that vary in intensity or degree. We can ask the question, 'How..?'

 

How hot/big/important/strong/old is it?


With non-gradable adjectives, there is no question of degree. For example, a person is either dead or not; a cup is either full or not. For this reason, extreme adjectives are also non-gradable as are classifying adjectives such as electrical, wooden or indoor.

  

Gradable adjectives

Non-gradable adjectives

 

angry

busy

intelligent

cold

deep

fast

happy

high

funny

soft

useful

friendly

 

right

wrong

possible

impossible

unique

essential

empty

delicious

medical

chemical

married

lost

            

We do not usually use adverbs of degree with non-gradable adjectives. However, in informal conversation, we sometimes use intensifiers that mean 'completely' for emphasis:

 

We couldn't get into the restaurant last night - it was completely full.

You're absolutely right; I couldn't agree more.

Are you entirely certain about that?

 

And 'quite' is sometimes used in conversation with some non-gradable adjectives to mean 'completely' or 'absolutely'.

 

You're quite right.

The meal was quite delicious.