COMPOUNDS

Compound words
A compound word is two or more words linked together to produce a word with a new meaning:
1. tooth + brush = toothbrush eco + friendly = eco-friendly animal + lover = animal lover
We make compounds in all word classes:

nouns: car park, soap opera pronouns: anyone, everything, nobody

adjectives: environmentally-friendly, fat-free numerals: twenty-seven, three-quarters

verbs: daydream, dry-clean prepositions: into, onto

adverbs: nevertheless, nowadays conjunctions: although, however

Compound nouns
We usually make compound nouns with a noun + noun, with a verb (or a word made from a verb) + noun, or with
an adjective + noun:

noun + noun: earphones verb -ing form + noun: parking ticket

verb base form + noun: rescue team adjective + noun: blackboard

The usual spoken stress pattern is with stress on the first item (earphones, blackboard).
In a compound noun, we can combine different elements. These include:
1. subject + verb: earache (an ear that aches), rainfall (rain that falls)
2. verb + subject: cleaning products (products that clean)
3. verb + object: know-all (person who thinks they know everything)
4. object + verb: shoe-polish (polishes shoes), dishwasher (washes dishes)

Compound adjectives
Compound adjectives most commonly end in an adjective (e.g. homesick), or in an -ing or -ed adjective form
(e.g. ground-breaking, short-sighted).

Compound verbs
Compound verbs are far less common than compound nouns or adjectives. They can be made by making a verb
from another word class, normally from an already existing compound noun (e.g. a daydream – to daydream).

Writing compound words

Sometimes compound words are written separately (nail polish), sometimes with a hyphen (short-sighted) and
sometimes as one word (eyelashes). Often new compounds are written as two separate words and, as they become
more familiar, they are either connected with a hyphen (-) or made into one word.
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There are some general rules and guidelines for when to use hyphens:
 when there is a prefix (e.g. post-war, pre-lunch, self-interest, semi-skilled)
 when a compound adjective comes before a head noun (e.g. a well-known singer, an angry-
sounding email)
 when the pre-head item in a compound is a single capital letter (e.g. U-turn, X-ray, D-day)
 when words are difficult to recognise as compounds and could be confused
The band has decided to re-form. (form again)
The Government promise to reform the health system. (improve)
 when compound adjectives containing numbers appear before a noun
A twenty-two-year-old cyclist won the race.
From here to Tokyo, that’s a twelve-hour flight at least.
If you’re not sure about whether to use a hyphen, a good dictionary will tell you.

Compound sentences
A compound sentence has two or more main clauses linked by coordinating conjunctions, such as and, but:
[main clause 1]She did a nursing degree [main clause 2]and she did really well, [main clause 3]but she’s decided to
study medicine now.
COMPOUNDS

What Is a Compound Adjective?

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “a compound word is two or more words linked together to produce a word
with a new meaning.”
A compound adjective is a combination of two or more words which can perform the role of an adjective in a
sentence. A compound adjective is formed by adding a noun, a present participle, or a past participle to the
adjective.

Types of Compound Adjectives with Examples

Compound adjectives can be categorized into different types based on their combinations. With respect to this,
there are compound adjectives which are formed as a result of combining:
 A Noun and a Noun  An Adjective and a Noun
 A Noun and an Adjective  An Adjective and a Past Participle
 A Noun and a Present Participle  An Adverb and a Past Participle
 A Noun and a Past Participle  A Number and a Noun

Word 1 Word 2 Compound Examples

Words

White Collar White- Do you have a white-collar job?

(Adjective) (Noun) collar

Eye Opening Eye- The trek to the Himalayas happened to be an eye-

(Noun) (Present Participle) opening opening experience for many reasons.

Brand (Noun) New (Adjective) Brand-new Joshua came to college today in his brand-new Audi car.

Sun Dried Sun-dried Sun-dried tomatoes seem to add a tangy taste to the dish
(Noun) (Past Participle) that makes it even more delicious.

Cruelty Free Cruelty-free All these cosmetics are cruelty-free and affordable.
(Noun) (Adjective)

Ten Page Ten-page The students of class VI were asked to write a ten-
(Number/Adjective) (Noun) page assignment which would be considered for internal
marks.

Cold Blooded Cold- Everyone would think you are too cold-blooded if you
(Adjective) (Past Participle) blooded continue to behave so.

Brightly Lit Brightly-lit The brightly-lit room definitely elevated the mood of the
(Adverb) (Past Participle) entire gathering.

Man (Noun) Eater (Noun) Man-eater The tiger that was killed was a man-eater.
COMPOUNDS

List of Compound Adjectives Examples

Here is a list of compound adjectives that you can make use to make your writing or speech specific and descriptive.

1. Blue-collar 11. Overcooked

2. Short-term 12. Undercooked
3. White-washed 13. Deep-fried
4. Short-handed 14. Seasick
5. Ill-minded 15. Well-known
6. Ice-cold 16. Tightly-wound
7. Grass-fed 17. Fifty-storey
8. Home-bred 18. 100-page
9. East-facing 19. Last-minute
10. Mouth-watering 20. Full-length

21. Heavy-laden 31. World-famous

22. Short-lived 32. English-speaking
23. Long-distance 33. Middle-aged
24. High-quality 34. Densely-populated
25. Quick-thinking 35. Highly-qualified
26. Nail-biting 36. Long-forgotten
27. Three-hour 37. Highly-respected
28. Record-breaking 38. Old-fashioned
29. Time-saving 39. Smoke-free
30. Ready-made 40. Waterproof

41. Shatterproof
42. Break-free
43. Four-week
44. Good-looking

Difference between Compound Adjectives and Compound Nouns

The main difference between a compound adjective and a compound noun is the kind of role they play when used
in a sentence.

A compound adjective behaves like an adjective that modifies the noun or pronoun in a sentence whereas, a
compound noun behaves like a noun that does or receives the action in a sentence. A bedroom, a water tank, a
washing machine, an air conditioner, a bird watcher, a skyscraper, etc. are compound nouns.

On the other hand, ill-natured, kind-hearted, Malayalam-speaking, long-lasting, everlasting, densely-populated, old-
fashioned, etc., are all examples of compound adjectives.
COMPOUNDS

Test Your Understanding of Compound Adjectives

Identify the compound adjectives in the following sentences and find out the parts of speech which form the
compound adjectives.
1. All my students are well-behaved.
2. The villain in that movie seemed to be a cold-blooded man.
3. Gokul works as a part-time trainer.
4. Each one of us were able to make it to the top of the 100-feet high mountain.
5. The three-legged, green-eyed monster in the movie looked really scary.
6. Since you are a diabetes patient, make sure you consume only sugar-free food.
7. Find out if the widely-known singer would be available to be our chief guest for the inter-state musical
competition.
8. The marriage and reception were well-planned.
9. The movie about the life of nurses in the Middle East countries had a long-lasting effect on the audience.
10. The ten-hour long journey was worth it.

absent-minded hands-off mouth-watering starry-eyed

accident-prone hands-on much-needed state-owned
all-consuming hard-nosed narrow-minded straight-faced
all-encompassing hard-to-find nerve-racking strong-minded
badly-behaved hard-worker never-ending strong-willed
badly-off hard-working never-failing sweet-toothed
bad-tempered high-flier old-fashioned tender-hearted
better-off high-handed one-off thick-skinned
big-headed highly-paid open-handed thin-skinned
big-hearted highly-respected open-hearted thought-provoking
bloody-minded high-spirited open-minded tight-fisted
blue-collar home-sick paper-thin tight-fitting
blue-eyed hot-blooded pasty-faced tight-lipped
bold-hearted hot-tempered perfectly-behaved time-based
broad-minded ill-advised poker-faced time-consuming
broken-down ill-assorted poorly-paid time-honoured
broken-hearted ill-bred profit-oriented time-saving
brown-eyed ill-conceived quick.tempered two-faced
business-oriented ill-disposed quick-witted user-friendly
cold-blooded ill-equipped raven-haired warm-hearted
consumer-oriented ill-fated real-time watered-down
customer-focused ill-fitting real-world weak-minded
deep-fried ill-mannered record-breaking well-adjusted
deeply-rooted ill-tempered right-handed well-advised
densely-populated kind-hearted self-absorved well-appointed
dewy-eyed last-minute self-centered well-attended
dry-eyed left-handed self-imposed well-balanced
easy-to-use light-hearted self-made well-behaved
even-handed lion-hearted self-paced well-bred
COMPOUNDS

even-tempered long-anticipated service-oriented well-dressed

eye-catching long-awaited sharp-eyed well-earned
faint-hearted long-eared shit-faced well-educated
far-off long-faced short-circuit well-groomed
far-reaching long-lasting short-handed well-known
forward-thinking long-legged short-lived well-made
foul-tempered long-lived short-sighted well-mannered
full-fledged long-term short-term well-off
full-scale mass-produced single-handed well-paid
good-hearted middle-aged single-minded well-respected
good-humoured mild-mannered skin-tight white collar
good-looking mind-blowing small-minded whole-hearted
green-eyed mind-boggling soft-hearted wide-eyed
half-hearted mind-reading sought-after widely-recognized
hard-hearted misty-eyed square-eyed world-famous

Describing Character With Compound Adjectives

Good Character Traits
Compound
Meaning Example
adjective

Open-minded willing to consider new Doctors these days tend to be more open-
ideas minded about alternative medicine.

Broad-minded tolerant or liberal in one’s We should be broad-minded toward minorities.

views and reactions

Strong-willed = determined on a course of A strong-willed woman is one who knows what she wants
action and goes after it.
Iron-willed

Well-balanced emotionally stable A good teacher is a well-balanced person.

Even-tempered not easily annoyed or made She is even-tempered and that’s why perfect for this job.
angry

Family-oriented putting family first Becoming-family oriented often involves a change in both
mindset and behavior.

Clear-headed thinking logically, sensibly He’ll be clear-headed and able to testify.

Self-assured = confident in one’s own The most important asset an attorney has is his ability to
abilities or character always be self-assured.
COMPOUNDS

Self-confident

Good-natured = kind, friendly He is abrupt, but is, in fact, a good-natured person.

Warm-hearted

Open-handed = generous He is one of the most open-handed art collectors in the

whole of America.
Free-handed

Big-hearted kind and generous I appreciate big-hearted people, not big-headed.

Down-to-earth practical and realistic She’s a down-to-earth woman with no pretensions.

Quick-witted = quick to notice and He’s quick-witted and energetic.

understand things
Quick-thinking =
Sharp-witted

Thick-skinned insensitive to criticism or In order to settle this well, we’ll have to be thick-
insults skinned about it.

Cool-headed not easily worried or excited Despite the chaos around him, John remained cool-headed
and efficiently guided his team through the unexpected
challenges.

Bad Character Traits

Compound
Meaning Example
adjective

Bad-tempered becoming angry and annoyed I’m always bad-tempered in the morning.
very easily

Big-headed behaving in a way that shows I just hate bog-headed people!

that you think you are very
important or intelligent

Bloody-minded very determined and refusing t He knows that he’s not right, but he’s just being
(British English) o give up, to change your mind, bloody-minded.
or to do what others want you
to do

Narrow-minded = not willing to accept ideas or You can’t be happy in a new environment if you are
ways of behaving that are narrow-minded.
COMPOUNDS

Close-minded different from your own

Self-conscious nervous or uncomfortable I always feel a bit self-conscious in a hat.

because you are worried about
what people think about you or
your actions

Self-centered = caring only about yourself Kelly is a good kid who is also, at times, self-centered.

Self-regarding =Self-
absorbed =Self-
obsessed

High-strung very nervous and easily upset I’m so high-strung because of the stressful work I do.

Thin-skinned easily hurt by criticism or easily You have to be careful what you say to Mark – he’s
made unhappy rather thin-skinned.

Dim-witted stupid Sam was portrayed as some sort of dim-witted blonde.

Tight-fisted = unwilling to spend money Don’t wait for Kim to buy you a drink – she’s so tight-
fisted.
Close-fisted
=Scrooge-like

Lily-livered (literary) not brave People have become weak-willed and lily-livered.

Weak-willed not having My diets are never successful – I’m just too weak-
the determination that willed.
is needed to continue with
a difficult course of action

Weak-kneed easily frightened or lacking She felt weak-kneed when faced with the daunting
determination; lacking courage task of public speaking.
or resolve

Work-shy disliking work and trying to Most of the unemployed are not work-shy and
avoid it when possible genuinely want jobs.

Absent-minded forgetful, inattentive He’s the most absent-minded man, but he has a heart
of gold.