Discuss compound adjectives in English | Trường Đại học Quy Nhơn

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Compound Adjective - HÌNH THÁI HỌC
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In daily life, the use of adjectives is not too strange for everyone. Similar to
Vietnamese, when we want to describe features or qualities of people, animals and
things, English also uses adjectives. For example, “The waiter was very polite”.
The word “polite” in this sentence is used to describe people in terms of their
actions. In addition, we can also use words such as beautiful, ugly, generous, etc.
to describe a person’s appearance or quality. But sometimes, we not only come
across common adjectives like above but also see compound adjectives like out-
going, snow-white, downtown, outdoor, etc. in English. As you can see, foreigners
do not always use simple adjectives, but depending on the context and situation,
they also use compound adjectives. If you pay closer attention, you may find that
the natives usually use compound adjectives in everyday communication. For
instance, Taylor Swift is a world-famous singer, or Albert Einstein is a well-known
physicist. Therefore, many people who are just studying or learning English will
undoubtedly have questions about compound adjectives, such as what they are,
how they differ from simple adjectives, or how to use them.
In order to help people better understand the principles and uses of
compound adjectives, I would like to bring the essay topic entitled “Discuss
compound adjectives in English”.
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1. Definition of Compound adjectives
A compound adjective (also called a compound modifier or phrasal adjective)
is an adjective that consists of two or more words to modify the same noun and is used as a single adjective.
Example: homesick, well-known, handmade, out-going, peacekeeping, old
English poetry, seasick, etc.
Similar to simple adjectives, the role of compound adjectives is to modify the
noun, so they usually come before the noun. Compound adjectives are used to
describe features and qualities of people, animals and things.
Compound adjectives are used a lot in speech. Occasionally, you can still see
appear in writing, especially poetry.
Example: - sharp-toothed unkindness (“King Lear” – W.Shakespeare)
- Jealousy…is the green-eyed monster
(“Othello” – W.Shakespeare)
2. The spelling of Compound adjectives
According to the research summarized in the paper, most of the spellings of
compound adjectives may in fact be different. In some cases, components can be written separately.
Example: - Used car dealer
- Old English poetry [Mette, 2019: 50]
It can be seen that the meaning of compound adjectives is evident in the
instances above without hyphenation.
Compounds can be written as a single word in some instances.
Example: inborn, manmade, widespread, homemade, widescreen, downtown,
wine-dark, outdoor, handmade, etc.
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However, according to the Grammar and Style Guide by the Bristol University
in order to prevent misreading, compound adjectives that have been formed by
combining two words and appear before the noun they modify are traditionally
hyphenated to clarify that their components are working as a single modifying unit. [Mette, 2019: 50] Example:
 A phrase “duty-free goods” implies the goods were duty-free.
 A phrase “an old-furniture salesman” implies a person who sells old furniture.
 A phrase “I live in a Japanese-speaking country” implies I live in a country that speaks Japanese.
 A phrase “old-fashioned clothes ” implies the clothes were old-fashioned.
 Note: Some principles when using hyphens in compound adjectives:
- When the compound adjective comes before the noun, use a hyphen between the two words.
Example:  He handed me a twenty-page report.
 Mike is a 20-year-old sophomore.
 My friend has returned to work on a part-time basis.
- When the compound adjective comes after the noun, do not use a hyphen.
Example:  His report was twenty pages long.
 Mike is a sophomore. He is 20 years old.
 A student does part time.
- If a proper noun appears in the compound, do not use a hyphen even if it
comes before the noun. If the adjective is made up of two nouns, a hyphen should
not be used. And never use a hyphen with a comparative {-er} or superlative {-est}
or to join an “-ly” adverb to an adjective.
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[Writing & Language Development Center - WLDC, 2020] Example:
 Containing proper nouns: Have you seen the Big Bang concert yet?  Two nouns:
Peter and Mary met at the Sunday night dance.  In comparisons:
That is a better looking mimosa.
 “-ly” adverb + adjective: It’s an easily understood math exercise.
- Sometimes the hyphen also prevents confusion and ambiguity.
Example:  Twenty year-old students.
 Twenty-year-old students.
→ It can be seen that there is no hyphen between the word “twenty” and the
word “year-old” in the first phrase, so the meaning of this sentence is “There are
twenty students. They are each a year old”. Also notice how in the second phrase
“Twenty-year-old”, a hyphen is added between words. So the meaning is also
changed to “There are several students. They are each twenty years old”.
Through the example above, we can see that the hyphen (or lack of a hyphen)
makes a big difference in the meaning of the sentence.
It is quite common to meet and use compound adjectives in English. So how
can you use English compound adjectives correctly and logically?
3. How to form Compound adjectives
There are many compound adjectives in English. This can confuse learners. In
order to avoid this situation and use compound adjectives correctly and reasonably,
we must remember how to create them. Therefore, here is a list of the most
common ways to form compound adjectives:
3.1 Adjective + Adjective
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When many adjectives are used to modify the same noun, they are frequently
separated by commas or appear in a row with no punctuation, depending on the
order of adjectives. When two or more adjectives are working together as a single
unit, we use hyphens to connect them together. This is especially common with colour or position adjectives.
Example: blue-green, light-blue, red-hot, top-left, bottom-right, blue-black,
dark brown, orange-yellow, dead-tired, northwest, etc. O
ur example sentences :
 Penny had bright, light-blue eyes.
 My mom always recommends keeping my clothes in the bot om-right wardrobe.
 The vegetable with shiny dark purple skin in the sack over there is eggplant.
 Some harvesting of shrimp is done on the extreme northwest coast, but
turtles are not generally found in that area. [Cambridge Dictionary]
3.2 Noun + Adjective
When we have a noun and an adjective, we use a hyphen between the two
words to create a compound adjective.
Example: top-most, seasick, brand-new, snow-white, knee-deep, noteworthy,
pitch-dark (pitch-black), accident-prone, world-famous, ice-cold, sugar-free, etc. Our example sentences:
 We all know the tale about the girl with snow-white skin.
 Jack has bought a brand-new motorcycle.
 How can I avoid getting seasick on my cruise?
 Furthermore, because of these world-famous institutions, the artist of merit
can become internationally. [Cambridge Dictionary]
3.3 Adjective + Participle
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In this section, “Participle” is divided into two categories: Present
participle (V-ing) and Past participle (V-ed).
3.3.1 Adjective + Present Participle (V-ing)
Many compound adjectives (adjectives that finish in “-ing” and are created
from verbs) end with the present participle. They often have an active meaning. To
connect them together, we use a hyphen between two words.
Example: good-looking, out-going, easy-going, long-lasting, never-ending,
sweet-smelling, smooth-talking, hard-working, ill-looking, long-acting, etc. O
ur example sentences :
 The judge is persuaded by a smooth-talking lawyer.
 She was a nice-looking young woman, just turned 18 years of age.
 Thyme is a sweet-smelling herb.
 We pray for our long-lasting camaraderie.
3.3.2 Adjective + Past Participle (V-ed)
Many compound adjectives (adjectives that finish in “-ed” and are created
from verbs) end with the past participle. They often have a passive meaning. To
connect them together, we use a hyphen between two words.
Example: old-fashioned, open-ended, custom-made, ready-made, short-lived,
English-speaking, ink-written, cold-blooded, full-grown, low-paid, etc. Our example sentences:
 Timmy doesn’t like to cook so he buys ready-made meals.
 We are not willing to enter into open-ended discussions.
 The joint controller of the stereo head is a custom-made design.
 Snakes and lizards are cold-blooded animals.
3.4 Adjective + Noun + “-ed”
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Compound adjectives are also made up of an adjective combined with a noun
to which the ending “-ed” has been added. To connect them together, we use a hyphen between two words.
Example: quick-witted, short-handed, strong-willed, able-bodied, kind-
hearted, absent-minded, narrow-minded, middle-aged, short-haired, high-spirited, etc. Our example sentences:
 The design is most suitable for middle-aged women.
 Jack’s a strong-willed man who won’t stop until he gets what he wants.
 My problem is not that a kind-hearted person would not exercise
discretion, but that we have no discretion.
 What a kind-hearted person!
3.5 Noun + Noun + “-ed”
Similar to 3.4, we just need to change the adjective to a noun, there is a new
type of compound adjective: Noun plus noun adding the end “-ed”.
Example: heart-shaped, lion-hearted, olive-skinned, pig-headed, bull-headed,
pigeon-hearted, pigeon-breasted, pout-lipped, etc. Our example sentences:
 Everyone recognizes him as a bull-headed boy.
 Everyone who has seen the Harry Pot er movie knows Harry is a lion-hearted boy.
 The softball was replaced with a heart-shaped ball.
3.6 Noun + Past Participle (V-ed)
Some examples of compound adjectives formed from a noun and a past
participle (V-ed) such as manmade, homemade, handmade, tongue-tied, wind-
blown, mass-produced, sun-dried, wind-powered, silver-plated, gold-plated, panic-
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stricken, air-conditioned, handwritten, etc. Our example sentences:
 The mobile robot studied will move in manmade/ man-made environments.
 The mice were kept separately in an air-conditioned room and fed with
standard food and drinking water. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 People spend less time preparing what they eat, thanks to mass-produced
foods and fast food. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 On the table stood a large silver-plated cup with the names of previous
winners engraved on it. [Cambridge Dictionary]
3.7 Adverb + Past Participle (V-ed)
The case of adverbs is divided into 2 types:
3.7.1 Adverb ending in “-ly” + Past Participle (V-ed)
If the adverb ends in “-ly”, the compound adjective that is made up of an
adverb and a past participle will not a hyphen between the two words.
Example: widely recognized, fully fledged, brightly lit, poorly constructed,
clearly valued, newly formed, densely populated, highly respected, wholly owned,
highly paid, newly elected, etc. Our example sentences:
 This densely populated country has the highest crime rates in the world.
 I’m working with a highly respected professor in the industry.
 Getting a highly paid job is everyone’s dream and desire.
 The newly elected headmistress innovated the teaching method.
 Note: Although the “-ly” ending normally denotes an adverb, a few adjectives
also have this ending such as friendly, lively, elderly, lovely, timely, lonely, costly,
silly, earthly, v.v. Besides, a few typical “-ly” ending words are employed as
adjectives as well as adverbs like early, daily, monthly, only, weekly, yearly, v.v.
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3.7.2 Adverb without ending “-ly” + Past participle (V-ed)
For adverbs without the ending “ly”, especially the adverb “well”, we will use a
hyphen between the adverb and the past participle to avoid confusion and ambiguity.
Example: overpopulated, well-world, well-known, well-behaved, worst-paid,
most-skilled, much-needed, above-mentioned, below-mentioned, worst dressed, etc. Our example sentences:
 The road works have given the village a much-needed respite from the constant traffic.
 You can do everything except the above-mentioned situation.
 Marry, who is next to my house, is a well-behaved woman.
 People voted Jill the worst dressed candidate for Halloween.
3.8 Preposition + Noun
Compound adjectives are made up of a preposition and a noun such as
outdoor, indoor, after-tax, in-service, online, offline, ongoing, onscreen, at-home,
at-risk, outside, inside, etc. Our example sentences:
 During the Covid-19 pandemic, students participated in the online classes
at home instead of going to school.
 I always thought cyclamen was an indoor plant, but this is the tougher,
outdoor variety. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 Some programmes have an onscreen sign language interpreter. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 Many inhabitants in at-risk areas have moved to higher ground as flooding threatens.
3.9 Preposition + Adjective/ Past Participle (V-ed)
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Compound adjectives formed from the combination of a preposition and an
adjective or a past participle (V-ed) such as off-black, inborn, on-off, off-white, inbred, etc. Our example sentences:
 Jessica has bought the off-white shoes.
 He seems to have an inborn talent for classical art.
 The basic model uses a simple on-off switch. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 Taylor had a royalty’s inbred manners and attitude. 3.10 Other cases
Besides, there are compound adjectives that are widely used but not made up
of formulas such as out-of-date, up-to-date, all-out, burnt-up, touch-and-go, so-so,
worn-out, hard-up, cast-off, hit-or-miss, stuck-up, day-to-day, out-of-the-way, etc. Our example sentences:
 Firstly, we should have an all-out campaign to stop the anti-government riots in some cities.
 Three hard-up governments are preparing to sell shares in state-owned
assets in the next two weeks. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 All up-to-date prices can be found on a few official websites.
 Bad weather may disrupt transport and may affect the conduct of normal
day-to-day business. [Cambridge Dictionary]
 Note: In addition to the ones listed above, there are still many compound
adjectives formed from others. For instance:
- Number + Singular Noun: five-minute, six-page, 18-year-old, one-way, v.v.
- Adjective + Noun: short-term, long-distance, full-length, last-minute, v.v.
- Noun + Present Participle (V-ing): hair-raising, top-ranking, mouth-watering,
record-breaking, time-saving, v.v.
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4. The stress of Compound adjectives
In English, there is a great tendency to give compound adjectives a heavy
stress on the first element (determinant), not the second element – the
“determinatum”. [Bùi Thị Làn, 2009: 15]
Example: ‘seasick, ‘air-conditioned, ‘duty-free, ‘red-hot, ‘class-conscious, etc.
However, sometimes the stress may fall on both parts.
Example: ear’splitting, well-be’haved, lion-‘hearted, good-‘looking, etc.
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In a nutshell, compound adjectives are one of the components that make up
the important sentence structure in English. When you want to emphasize, clarify
the meaning of a noun or a sentence, you should use this type of word. In addition,
compound adjectives are not only found in English but also in Vietnamese. In daily
communication, Vietnamese people also often use compound adjectives such as
xinh đẹp, cao lớn, to gan, đỏ rực, nhanh nhẹn, chậm chạp, v.v. but rarely use these
words separately. It can be seen that both in Vietnamese and English, compound
adjectives also make sentences logical in both form and content. In other words, it
helps to simplify, emphasize and make the sentence better.
Moreover, it is impossible to deny that English plays a significant role in
worldwide communication. English is employed in many aspects of life, and it
helps to strengthen international contacts. English is also considered the most
commonly spoken language in the world. To improve their English skills, students
must study all parts of English vocabulary in general, as well as compound
adjectives in particular. As a result, they can improve their English.
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Document Outline

• INTRODUCTION
• DEVELOPMENT
  • 1. Definition of Compound adjectives
  • 2. The spelling of Compound adjectives
  • 3. How to form Compound adjectives
    • 3.1 Adjective + Adjective
    • 3.2 Noun + Adjective
    • 3.3 Adjective + Participle
      • 3.3.1 Adjective + Present Participle (V-ing)
      • 3.3.2 Adjective + Past Participle (V-ed)
    • 3.4 Adjective + Noun + “-ed”
    • 3.5 Noun + Noun + “-ed”
    • 3.6 Noun + Past Participle (V-ed)
    • 3.7 Adverb + Past Participle (V-ed)
      • 3.7.1 Adverb ending in “-ly” + Past Participle (V-ed)
      • 3.7.2 Adverb without ending “-ly” + Past participle (V-ed)
    • 3.8 Preposition + Noun
    • 3.9 Preposition + Adjective/ Past Participle (V-ed)
    • 3.10 Other cases
  • 4. The stress of Compound adjectives
• CONCLUSION