COMPOUND ADJECTIVE
A word that describes or qualifies a noun or a pronoun is called an adjective. Generally it comprises of one word for example:
This is a stone wall.
In this sentence 'stone' is an adjective qualifying the noun wall.
At times an adjective is formed of two or more than two words for example:
This is a stone-walled building.
In this sentence 'stone-walled' is an adjective formed of two words stone and walled. It qualifies the noun building. It is a compound adjective.
COMPOUND ADJECTIVE --COMBINATIONS
A compound adjective is formed of two words of parts of speech like noun, adjective , adverb or present and past participles.
These are as follows.
NOUN and NOUN
In this way a teacher-student relationship is established.
In this sentence 'teacher-student' is a compound adjective qualifying the noun relationship.
Both 'teacher ' and 'student' are nouns.
NOUN and ADJECTIVE
He takes sugar-free tea.
In this sentence, 'sugar-free' is a compound adjective qualifying the noun tea. 'Sugar' is a noun and 'free' is an adjective.
These two words may change their positions, one may precede or follow the other.
ADJECTIVE and NOUN
The guests were accorded a
red-carpet welcome.
In this case, 'red' is an adjective followed by a noun 'carpet'. 'Red-carpet' is a compound adjective qualifying the noun welcome.
NOUN and PARTICIPLE
They served us ice-cooled water.
In this sentence 'ice' is a noun and 'cooled' is a past partciple. 'Ice-cooled' is a compound adjective qualifying the noun water.
ADJECTIVE and PARTICIPLE
She is proud of her good-looking appearance.
In this sentence 'good-looking' is a compound adjective qualifying the noun appearance. It consists of 'good' an adjective and 'looking' a present participle.
ADVERB and PARTICIPLE
A well-dressed man appeared on the stage.
In this sentence 'well- dressed' is a compound adjective and man is a noun. 'Well' is an adverb and 'dressed' is a past participle.
NUMBER and NOUN
One-time exercise.
It was an one-time exercise and they executed it very well.
NUMBER and PARTICIPLE
One-layered surface.
A one-layered surface of rubber sheet was spread.
NUMBER and ADVERB
Single-handedly accomplished job.
This car is a single-handedly driven.
NOTE: Sometimes both original part of speech or a participle can be used in a sentence.
An original noun or a noun of participle both can be used.
For example:
Night-patrol/patrolling is urgently required in this area.
In this sentence both the types of nouns are correct.
Three word Compound Adjective Examples:
Door-to-door convassing, Man-to-man relationship, Nation-to-nation collaboration, well-to-do family, heart-to-heart conversation.
Generally, as a rule, in a compound adjective a hyphen is used between two words.
-- when the compound adjective is used before a noun or a pronoun but it is not used if it is used after the noun. For example
We visited a world - famous fort in the city.
This fort is world famous.
-- Compound adjectives with numbers contain hyphen for example -
Twentieth - century building, Second rate equipments.
But when the number is used at the second place, a hyphen is not used. For example -
Type four flat, Category general, etc.
-- A compound adjective with superlative used before a noun or pronoun contains a hyphen but one used after these does not contain a hyphen. For example-
Worst-affected, low-priced.
--When an adjective starting with an adverb does not contain a hyphen. For example -
Thickly populated, Highly guarded.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COMPOUND ADJECTIVE AND SINGLE ADJECTIVE
A compound adjective and a single adjective both give different meanings. For example --
A black, haired animal and A black-haired animal.
These two words give two different meanings.
In first case, "black" and "haired" both words describe the noun animal. In the second word, black describes hair and both "black" and "haired describe the noun animal.
First means the animal is black and haired. The second means the animal is having black hair and is black-haired.
EXERCISES
ONE
Make the Nouns using Compound Adjectives
1.A train that moves slowly........
2. A person with a strong will.......
3. An app that saves time...........
4. A child who looks innocent........
5. A lady with a kind heart..........
6. A man having long hair...........
7. A child having blue eyes.........
8. A food free from fat..........
9. An effect that lasts long........
10. A person with an open mind...........
( ANSWERS)
1. A slow-moving train.
2. A strong-willed person.
3. A time-saving app.
4. An innocent-looking child.
5. A kind hearted lady.
6. A long-haired man.
7. A blue-eyed child.
8. A fat-free food.
9. A long-lasting effect.
10. An open-minded person.
TWO
Identify the part of speech of the words of following Compound Adjectives.
1. An open-heart
2. A five-star
3. A high-spirited
4. A thought-provoking
5. A far-reaching
6. A middle-aged
7. An English-speaking
8. A last-minute
9. A world- famous
10. An old-fashioned.
(ANSWERS -- 1. Adjective, Noun 2. Number, Noun 3. Adjective, Past- participle, 4. Adjective, Present- participle 5. Adjective, Present-participle 6. Adjective, Past-participle 7. Adjective, Present-participle 8.Adjective, Noun, 9. Noun-Adjective 10. Adjective,Past-participle )
THREE
Choose the appropriate option in the following sentences.
1. (1. Scant/ 2. scantily)-clad children were sitting on the foot-path.
2. System-(1.generated/2.generating) statements do not need signatures on them.
3. Mouth-(1.watering/2.watered ) delicacies were served in the party.
4. A (1.hot/2.heated ) water - bottle is required for the patient.
5. She brought for me hand-(1.picked/2. picking) berries from the field.
FOUR
Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with Compound adjectives formed with following given words.
( Well inform, Heart break, Tight lip, Absent mind, Water log, Low lie, Hard earn, Red hand, Ever green, High guard )
1. The weapons were stored in a ............building.
2. The young man was .......... after his failure in business.
3. The audience appeared to be ............. about the issue.
4. The whole family was ........ about the incident.
5. The police caught the thief ............
6. The son wasted away his father's .......... money.
7. The gardener planted some ......... plants in the garden.
8. The .........areas of the city were filled with rain water.
9. The old man appears to be ..............
10. They pumped out water from the ........areas.
(ANSWERS 1. highly-guarded, 2. heart-broken, 3. well-informed, 4.tight-lipped, 5. red-handed, 6. hard-earned, 7. ever-green, 8. low-lying, 9. absent-minded, 10. water-logged)
Identify Compound Adjectives in the following sentences.
FIVE
In the far-flung area of a less-known city, there lived a kind-hearted but strong-willed person. He belonged to a well-educated family. He was running his decades -old well-flourished family business in the city. He commanded a well -deserved respect among highly-dignified business men of the city. He had a long-cherished desire that his thirty-year-old convent-educated son too should join his business. He wanted whole-hearted involvement of his well-brought up son in his business. He had saved his hard- earned money to invest in the business for him. He also purchased a three-storeyed fully-furnished house for him.His son was not so business minded. He after his studies wanted to do a white-collar job in some well -reputed, multi-national company. He was fond of living an easy- going life. He wanted to enjoy all comforts of modern- style life. At the same time he had a heart-felt respect for his parents. He did not want to defy orders of his highly-respected father. He offered a well-thought plan to his father. He proposed that he would attend a one-year long task-oriented training-programme with a multinational company. Thereafter he will start with his father his own electronic chips-manufacturing company . His father readily agreed to his well-perceived proposal. Thus blew off the much-feared confrontation between the two.
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