Compound Adjectives in English

Role of Adjectives

In the English language, adjectives are employed to modify nouns or pronouns i.e. adjectives are employed to describe nouns and pronouns. These word forms are most essential in that they enhance beauty to the written words.

Adjectives and Complex Concepts

You might have come across the usage of powerful and descriptive class of words to represent complex concepts. Consider the examples: an ice-cold lemonade, a six-sided die, a three-hour movie and a tight-fisted woman. The noun lemonade is modified to describe its ice-coldness. Similarly the noun woman is modified to describe her attitude. The nouns die and movie are modified to quantify their specifications.

Purpose of Using Adjectives

As told adjectives are employed to clearly modify or specify the noun in terms of its kind (example: Loud noise, Steady beat), its measurable quantity (Some work, Huge building), its specifiers (This book, That record) and its countable number (Three storey, Two door). You will typically find that an adjective usually precedes the noun or the pronoun which it modifies.

Now we know that adjectives are picture words that provide better perception as to the quality of the noun or pronoun. These word forms are most essential in that they enhance beauty to the written words. Famous poets and prose writers employed a lot of adjectives to augment color and beauty to their creations. What is compound adjective? Compound adjective is a complex and challenging formation. It modifies the noun, with the two or more worded adjective phrase, to create a new adjective. The adjective phrase is usually written in with a hyphen (-). Its meaning is usually clear from the words it combines.

ADJECTIVE + PRESENT / PAST PARTICIPLE

Let us consider some examples:
1) Absent-minded = forgetful (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
2) Big-headed = proud of one’s self (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
3) Cold-blooded = a kind of classification of animals (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
4) Easy-going = easy unobstructed progress (The second part of the compound adjective is Present Participle)
5) Good-looking = attractive, beautiful (The second part of the compound adjective is Present Participle)
6) In-the-middle-aged = being roughly between 45 and 65 years old (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
7) Left-handed = having long legs (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
8) Quick-witted = intelligent (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
9) Thick-skinned = not easily offended (The second part of the compound adjective is Past Participle)
The second part of the compound adjective is usually a present participle or past participle.

ADJECTIVE + ADVERB + PRESENT / PAST PARTICIPLE

Let us consider some examples:
1) Far-reaching = Having a wide range, influence, or effect
2) Free-standing = Standing or operating independently of anything else
3) Good-looking = Of a pleasing or attractive appearance; handsome
4) Hard-wearing = Hard to beat
5) Labor-saving = Designed to replace or conserve human and especially manual labor
6) Long-lasting = Existing for a long time
7) Mouth-watering = Appealing to the sense of taste
8) Never-ending = Not ending
9) Record-breaking = Surpassing any previously established record

ADVERB +ADJECTIVE

The adverbs intensify the meaning of the adjectives they modify. Let us consider some examples:
1) Almost helpless
2) Extremely Painful
3) Quite fiercely
4) Rather selfish
5) So grateful
6) Very excited
7) Very remarkable

ADJECTIVE + NOUN

1) Busy Day = Engaged in activity throughout the day
2) Curly hair = Hair having curls
3) Deep-sea = of or taking place in the deeper parts of the sea
4) Friendly People = People having friendly attitude
5) Full-length = Showing or fitted to the entire length, especially of the human body or Of a normal or standard length
6) Last-minute = The period just before a significant or concluding moment such as a deadline, due date, or scheduled event
7) Lonely house = House located at a lonely place
8) Lovely person = Person having lovely manners
9) Prime Minister = Head of Cabinet of Ministers

NOUN + ADJECTIVE

1) Trouble-free = without problems or difficulties
2) Lead-free = not containing the element lead
3) World-famous = Most famous

NUMBER + NOUN + ADJECTIVE

1) Eleven-man team
2) Forty-mile Having forty miles distance
3) Four-Stroke = having four stroke
4) One-Eyed = having only one eye
5) One-layered disk = Disk having single layer
6) Single-Handed = done by one person
7) Six-and-a-half-year-old child = Child’s age
8) Six-Sided = having six sides
9) Sixteen-week semester = Duration of Semester
10) Three-legged stool = Stool having three legs
11) Three-storey house = House having three floors
12) Twenty-Page = Having twenty page
13) Two-bedroom flat
14) Two-car garage = Garage for parking two cars
15) Two-Stroke = engine having two strokes
16) Two-Door = Having two doors
17) Sweetheart = a person whom another loves

PLACE + NOUN/ADJECTIVE

1) Farm-fresh = Fresh from farms
2) Indian Bazaar = a specific place or market wherein you will find Indian shops, restaurants.
3) housewife = a married woman devoted to work for her family and attends all house hold activities at home
4) home-made = prepared at home, not bought from a shop

Number of Websites have attempted to organize the English Compound adjectives into digestible chunks. This article is just another attempt. It is a mere compilation. As a successful writer you may be knowing how to use these compound adjectives correctly. However I have slightly improved my grammar knowledge by attempting to write this piece.

Source:

1) BBC World Service – Learning English - http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv224.shtml
2)English Rules - Hyphens for Compound Adjectives -http://www.englishrules.com/writing/2005/hyphens-for-compound-adjectives.php
3) Knowledgebush - Compound noun and adjective http://knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Compound_noun_and_adjective/
4) Using compound adjectives to give physical or metaphorical descriptions http://www.iei.uiuc.edu/structure/Structure1/haired.html
5) Wikipedia – English compound – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_compound
6) Your Dictionary - ESL Compound Adjective Worksheet -http://www.yourdictionary.com/esl/ESL-Compound-Adjective-Worksheet.html

Compound Nouns in English

We know that a noun is the name of any person, place, object, concept or idea. We also know the classifications as proper noun, common noun, possessive noun, singular noun, plural noun, abstract noun and collective noun. There are more nouns in the English Language than any other kind of words. Have you conversant with compound nouns? You might be. Compound nouns are simply formed by joining two simple nouns together. Now it is striking. You must remember this. It is the noun phrase wherein a noun modified by another attributive noun. Thus you are free to modify the noun ‘Male’ with another attributive noun ‘Nurse’ and identify the health staff without any ambiguity. (Wikipedia)
There are three forms of compound words (British Council):

Closed form, In this form you may combine two suitable nouns together and form a single word. Consider the examples for better understanding: Barmaid, Bathroom, Breakdown, Buttermilk, and Butterscotch

Hyphenated form, In this form you are free combine a suitable noun pair with a hyphen inserted in between each word. (Here hyphens separate words) Consider the examples: Air-brake, Baby-sitter, Daughter-in-law, Editor-in-chief, Master-at-arms, Over-the-counter, White-wash

Open form, In this form there is a need to leave a single space between suitable nouns. No need for hyphens. Consider the examples: Attorney general, Fish tank, Half sister, Post office, Real estate, and Middle class.

I just have given an overview of compound nouns and its conventional forms. Though we are able to identify these three forms, the reason, for adopting these forms to combine and create compound nouns, is not explained in any known reference sources i.e. dictionaries or grammar books. Regarding hyphenation there are no uniform practices prevail. Some prefer to insert a hyphen, example: full-moon and some other prefer to write simply with a space, full moon.
I have collected 150 compound nouns under the three different forms mentioned above from standard dictionaries. I have listed them out under each form as shown below:

1. Closed form (One word)


I have collected and listed out 55 closed form compound nouns from standard dictionaries.

1) Applesauce,
2) Barmaid
3) Barman
4) Bathroom
5) Bedroom
6) Blackboard
7) Breakdown
8) Breakwater
9) Browbeat
10) Butterfly
11) Buttermilk
12) Butterscotch
13) Chairperson
14) Childlike
15) Crosstown
16) Eyebrow
17) Fingerprint
18) Fisherman
19) Flashlight,
20) Football
21) Footbrake
22) Footprint
23) Grasshopper
24) Handbag
25) Handbill
26) Handkerchief
27) Hardware
28) Highway
29) Hyperactive
30) Hypothermia
31) Keyboard,
32) Lifelong
33) Makeup
34) Milkmaid
35) Newspaper
36) Notebook,
37) Output
38) Overhead
39) Redhead
40) Salesman
41) Sandbag
42) Sandpaper
43) Sandstone
44) Saucepan
45) Seafood
46) Seaman
47) Seaweed
48) Secondhand
49) Shoelace,
50) Softball
51) Software
52) Supermarket
53) Underhand
54) Watergate
55) Witchcraft

2. Hyphenated form

I have collected and listed out 37 hyphenated form compound nouns from standard dictionaries.

1) Air-tight
2) Air-brake
3) Air-chamber
4) Air-cushion-vehicle
5) Air-port
6) Arm-chair
7) Baby-sitter
8) Blue-green
9) Born-again
10) Boy-friend,
11) Brother-in-law
12) Daughter-in-law
13) Dining-table
14) Editor-in-chief,
15) Father-in-law
16) Fly-leaf
17) Fly-wheel
18) Freeze-dry
19) Great-grandfather
20) Hyper-acidity
21) Hypo-thyroid
22) Love-in
23) Mass-produced
24) Master-at-arms
25) Mother-in-law
26) Multi-storey
27) New year’s day
28) Over-ripe
29) Over-the-counter
30) Sister-in-law
31) Six-pack
32) Six-year-old
33) Sky-scraper
34) Sub-urban
35) Twelve-year-old
36) Wall-paper
37) White-wash

3. Open form (Two or more words)

I have collected and listed out 58 open form (two or more words) compound nouns from standard dictionaries.

1) Attorney general
2) Bath tub
3) Beauty saloon
4) Birth day
5) Birth name
6) Bottom line
7) Broad gauge
8) Capital letter
9) Castor oil
10) Christian name
11) Curriculum vitae
12) Desk top computer
13) Dish washer
14) Elementary school
15) Family name
16) First cousin
17) Fish tank
18) Fish tank
19) Full moon
20) Grey matter
21) Half sister
22) High school
23) Ice land
24) Independence day
25) Indoor game
26) Indoor plant
27) Intelligence quotient
28) Knitting needle
29) Lap top computer
30) Living room
31) Lower middle class
32) Maiden name
33) Male nurse
34) Meter gauge
35) Middle class
36) Mineral water
37) Office assistant
38) Office stationary
39) Outdoor game
40) Paper clip
41) Petrol gauge
42) Police officer
43) Pony tail
44) Post office
45) Real estate
46) Registry office
47) Rest room
48) Scotch whisky
49) Seat belt
50) Tea cup
51) Trade name
52) Under cut
53) Under dog
54) Under way
55) Under world
56) Upper middle class
57) Wedding day
58) Word processor

Source:

1) Airtech – Quizzes http://www.aitech.ac.jp/~iteslj/quizzes/vm/m-cm.html
2) British Council – Learn English Central – Grammar – Compound Nouns http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-grammar-nouns-compound.htm
3) Edufind – Grammar – Noun
http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/NOUNS4.cfm
4) ESL DESK Nouns – Grammar - Nouns
http://www.esldesk.com/grammar/nouns.htm
5) Grammar – CCC – Commnet – Grammar - Exercise in Compound Nouns and Modifiers http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/cgi-shl/par_numberless_quiz.pl/compounds_quiz.htm
6) Quia - Compound Nouns http://www.quia.com/jg/553320list.html
7) Wikipedia - English compound http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_compound