Compound adjectives - English - Bac (PDF)
Compound adjectives
A compound adjective is sometimes called a hyphenated adjective.
A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives are joined together to modify the same noun. These
terms should be hyphenated to avoid confusion or ambiguity.
for example:
I saw a man-eating alligator.
=> We are describing the alligator. What type of alligator is it? It is one that eats men (or people).
=> We are describing the alligator. What type of alligator is it? It is one that eats men (or people).
I saw a man eating alligator.
=> This sentence without the hyphen sounds like a man is eating an alligator.
(man is the subject, eating is the verb, alligator is the object or thing that is being eaten).
=> This sentence without the hyphen sounds like a man is eating an alligator.
(man is the subject, eating is the verb, alligator is the object or thing that is being eaten).
As you can see,
the hyphen makes a big difference in the
meaning of the sentence.
The Roles:
Adverb/Noun/Adjective+ Past participle
1) Adverb + Past Participle
However when we have an Adverb + past participle, we
put a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- This is a brightly-lit room.
- She is a well-known actress.
- We live in a densely-populated city.
- his English is poorly-spoken
- Ali 's homework was nicely- done => he did a good job
2) Noun + Past Participle
When we have a noun + past participle, we put a hyphen
between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- We should start
using wind-powered generators to cut
costs.
- I love eating sun-dried raisins.
3) Adjective + Past Participle
When we have an adjective + past participle, we put a
hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- That is an old-fashioned dress
- Reptiles are cold-blooded creatures.
Noun/ Adjective + Present
participle
1) Noun + Present Participle
When we have a noun + present participle, we put a
hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- I bought some mouth-watering strawberries.
- That was a record-breaking jump.
2) Adjective + Present Participle
When we have an adjective + present participle, we put
a hyphen between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- She is a good-looking girl.
- It left a long-lasting taste in my mouth.
Noun+ Adjective
/ Adjective + Noun
1) Noun + Adjective
When we have a noun + adjective, we put a hyphen
between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- She is a world-famous singer.
- This is a smoke-free restaurant.
2) Adjective + Noun
When we have an adjective + noun, we put a hyphen
between the two words to make it a compound adjective.
- It was a last-minute decision.
- We watched the full-length version of the movie.
Numbers
Article + a
number + a hyphen + Noun in the singular form
A car with four wheels
=> a four-wheel
car
it's a hotel with seven stars
=> it's a
seven -star hotel
it 's a journey of 20 kilometers
=> it's a
20 - kilometer journey
the house has a garage for two cars
=> the house has a
two -car garage
the building has twenty floors
=> it's a
twenty -floor building
I'm going on vacation for three weeks
=> I'm going to have a
three-week vacation
How do we know when to put a hyphen?
If you can use the word “and” between the two
adjectives or words, then a hyphen isn't necessary.
- She has a big blue book.
(Big and Blue are adjectives)
Can we say: She has a big and blue book. (Yes , It Is possible)
Can we say: She has a big and blue book. (Yes , It Is possible)
- He is a world famous
singer
Can we say: He is a world and famous singer. No, it
doesn't sound correct so we need a hyphen
- He is a world-famous singer
Notice how we do not put a hyphen between an adverb
and an adjective (not even before a noun).
|
 ){kind=link}