What are compound adjectives?

Compound adjectives are adjectives that are made up of two or more words usually with hyphens (-) between them.
Examples:

An English-speaking country.

A time-saving gadget.

A thirty-floor building.

How are compound adjectives formed?

Compound adjectives can be formed as follows:

Adverb-past participle / noun + ed
a well-known writer
a brightly-lit room
deeply-rooted traditions
a well-mannered girl

Adjective-present participle (verb + ing)
a good-looking boy
a free-standing tower

Noun-past participle
a tongue-tied boy
a sun-dried fruit

Adjective-past participle / noun + ed
a short-sighted man
a long-haired lady

Noun- adjective
a world-famous singer

Adjective- noun
a last minute solution
deep-sea diving

Noun-noun
a part-time job

Vocabulary Exercises: Compound Adjectives

Choose the correct answer

well- mannered
brand- new
deeply- rooted
short- sighted
old- fashioned

Choose the right compound adjective from the exercise above.

When Brian got his promotion, he bought a brand-new car.
Look at Leila . She's wearing an old-fashioned skirt. She found it in her grandmother's drawer.
Nancy is such a short-sighted girl. She can't even read what's on the blackboard.
Some people think that we should preserve the deeply-rooted traditions of countries.
Cathy is a well-mannered girl. She's very polite.

Choose the appropriate compound adjectives:

The criminal was caught red-handed . He was seen steeling the young lady’s handbag.
People should be tolerant towards other cultures. They should be open-minded .
Sarah couldn't answer the teacher’s question because she was absent-minded .
Don’t expect him to invite you for dinner. He is tight-fisted .
To be a translator you need to be well-informed about linguistics.

Match the numbers with the letters:

Compound adjectives	Meaning
1. a well-earned	a- deserved
2. f self-reliant	b- eternal
3. c narrow-minded	c- inflexible
4. b ever-lasting	e- depressed
5. e heart-broken	f- independent