Word formation
Compound adjectives
Compound adjectives
consist of two words, usually written with a hyphen between them.
- A never-ending list of other sports also came
under suspicion this year.
- It was an air-conditioned restaurant.
- He was wearing an apple-green jacket.
Here are examples of common patterns for forming compound adjectives, and some
examples of each.
Adjective/number + noun
- deep-sea, long-term,
twenty-page, full-time,
late-night, red-brick
Adjective/number + noun + -ed
- absentminded, kindhearted,
long-haired, one-sided,
open-minded, nearsighted
Adjective/adverb/noun + past participle
- air-conditioned, breast-fed,
clean-shaven, greatly reduced,
low-paid, well-behaved
Adjective/adverb/noun + -ing form
- easygoing, good-looking,
hardworking, long-lasting,
never-ending, performance-enhancing
Noun + adjective
- audiovisual, brand-new,
duty-free, top-heavy,
trouble-free, world-famous