COMPOUND ADJECTIVES
A compound adjective is formed when two or more adjectives are joined together to modify the same
noun. They are usually written with a hyphen (e.g. good-looking, sun-tanned …). Its meaning is
normally clear from the words it combines. The second part of the compound adjective is often a
present or past participle. A lot of compound adjectives describe a person’s appearance, character,
and situation.
I Match the adjectives with their II Fill in the gaps with the compound adjectives from
meanings. exercise I. One word is given in brackets.
1 well-off A attractive 1. Mary is very 1___________ (fashion) and she loves
wearing 2________ (new) designer clothes.
2 laid-back B totally new
2. Brad Pitt is a really 3______ (known) actor and he’s
3 good-looking C famous
very 4___________ (good) – everybody likes him.
4 ready-made D rich
3. Kate is always so 5________ (back) about everything.
5 fashion-conscious E relaxed
4. His visit left an 6 ________ (lasting) impression on me.
6 well-known F eternal
5. John worked long hours and became very 7_____
7 heart-broken G inflexible (off).
8 ever-lasting H depressed 6. We have no 8 _________ (made) answers.
9 narrow-minded I stylish 7. Our new boss is so 9___________ (minded), he is not
10 brand-new J can be used ready to listen to or tolerate the views of others.
immediately 8. Alan was really 10________ (broken) when Sarah left
him.
III This is Jane Pretty. Describe her appearance and character using compound adjectives given below.
good-looking long-sleeved brand-new well-off easy-going curly-
haired long-legged blue-eyed open-necked high-heeled tight-fitting
good-tempered
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________
IV Match the definitions to the compound adjectives. The words are given in the box. There are more
words than needed.
1 Sam is not easily upset
absent-minded or offended bythick-skinned
narrow-minded what other peopleshort-tempered
say about him. He is
badly-behaved
____________________.
two-faced cold-hearted 2Mr. Brown gets angry
strong-minded very easily. He is
fashion-conscious easy-going
________________________________________.
big-headed
3 My sister usually gets what she wants. She is ___________________________________.
4 Ann is insensitive and she always tries to tell people whatever she thinks will please them. She is
______________________.
5 One little boy was very ________________________________; he kept shouting during lunch.
6 Jill had a nice time with Jeremy – he’s good company and very
_______________________________.
KEY
Exercise I
1D 2 E 3 A 4 J 5 I 6 C 7 H 8 F 9 G 10 B
Exercise II Exercise III
1 fashion-conscious Students’ own answers
2 brand-new
3 well-known
4 good-looking
5 laid-back
6 ever-lasting
7 well-off
8 ready-made
9 narrow-minded
10 heart-broken
Exercise IV
1 thick-skinned
2 short-tempered
3 strong-minded
4 two-faced
5 badly-behaved
6 easy-going
7 absent-minded
