Page 31 - English Vocabulary in Use Pre Intermediate

Compound adjectives

Formation and pronunciation

A compound adjective is formed from two different words, and occasionally three. They are
usually written with a hyphen (e.g. good-looking, well-known), and the stress is usually the
same on both parts of the compound.

Describing people

Many compound adjectives
describe a person’s appearance,
character, and situation.
This is William. He isn’t well-known
(= famous), he isn’t well-off (= rich),
and I’ve never heard anyone say he was
good-looking (= handsome/attractive).
But he’s a very nice man — kind, friendly
and very easy-going (= relaxed). In this
picture he’s wearing a short-sleeved shirt
and a brand-new (= completely new) hat.

‘Well’ and ‘badly’

These adverbs combine with many past participles to form compound adjectives. You can
use ‘well’ or ‘badly’ in front of the adjective (except well-known, which has no opposite),
a well-directed film a badly-paid job (= a low salary)
a well-made pair of shoes a badly-behaved child (= acting in a bad way)
a well-written story a badly-dressed young man (= wearing horrible clothes)

A ‘five-minute’ walk
It is common to combine a number and a singular noun to form a compound adjective.
It’s a fifteen-minute drive to the centre. (= a drive of fifteen minutes)
He works in a four-star hotel. (= a hotel with a rating of four stars)
I gave her a five-pound note. (= a note with a value of five pounds)
The winner was a ten-year-old girl. (= a girl who is ten years old)
There was a two-hour delay on our flight. (= the plane was two hours’ late)

Common compounds
She had a full-time job in a bank, but after the baby was born she changed to a part-time
job and just worked in the mornings.
The hotel is north-west of here, about ten miles away. (also north-east, south-east, and
south-west)
Most of the population are right-handed, but about 10% are left-handed.
On trains and planes you can buy a first-class ticket if you are happy to pay a lot more.
Mary bought a second-hand BMW. (= the car was not brand-new, but was a new car for
her)
English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)
Note: As with compound nouns, you can often combine different words with one part and
form many different compound adjectives.

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