Compound adjectives

Compound adjectives

1. A compound adjective is comprised by two or more words to describe a noun in terms of age, depth, weight, price, etc.

2. Compound adjectives are usually hyphenated (if you omit it, the meaning could change).

3. FORM: Number + hyphen + noun. E.g.: an eighteen-year-old boy, a twenty-five-acre land, a three-meter-deep pool, a three-minute routine, a thirty-centimeter ruler, a two-dollar pen, a three-hour movie, a thirty-gram package.

   • • Adjective / noun + adjective. E.g.: Navy-blue
   • • Adjective, adverb or noun + present participle. E.g.: fast-running
   • • Adjective, adverb or noun + past participle. E.g.: home-made
   • • Adjective + noun + ED o E.g.: bad-tempered
   • • Other compound adjectives o E.g: A fifty-year-old woman

4. Warning: DO NOT ADD “S” TO NUMBERS FOR PLURAL.

5. NOUN + PAST PARTICIPLE COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

   • o Noun + Past participle  E.g.: wind-powered, old-fashioned

6. ADJECTIVE + PAST PARTICIPLE COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

   • o Adjective + Present participle  E.g.: good-looking, heart-breaking

7. NOUN + ADJECTIVE COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

   • o Noun + Adjective (Please, use a hyphen!)  E.g.: sugar-free

8. ADJECTIVE + NOUN COMPOUND ADJECTIVES

   • o Adjective + Noun (Remember to use a hyphen)  E.g.: large-scale