It is an ADJECTIVE which is made up of two parts and is usually written with a hyphen, e.g. well-dressed, never-ending and shocking-pink. Its meaning is usually clear from the words it combines. The second part of the compound adjective is frequently a present participle (verb+ing) or past participle.
Example:
1. Azimah is a long-haired,sun-tanned, brown-eyed, rosy-cheeked, thin-lipped, short-legged, flat-footed young lady. She is wearing an open-necked, brand-new, pink-coloured dress.
LIST OF DESCRIPTIONS
1. PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
a. curly-haired, straight-haired, wavy-haired,
long-haired, short-haired,red-haired, black-haired
b. blue-eyed, brown-eyed, black-eyed, red-eyed, crossed-eyed
c. rosy-cheeked, high-cheeked
d. thin-lipped, thick-lipped, hare-lipped
e. broad-shouldered,
f. left-handed, right-handed
g. slim-hipped, broad-hipped
h. long-legged, short-legged
i. flat-footed, bare-footed
2. CLOTHES, GARMENTS AND ACCESSORIES
a. open-necked, round-necked, square-necked (t-shirt)
b. old-fashioned, brand-new
c. tight-fitting, body-fit
d. cast-off, worn-out
e. open-toed
f. well-groomed
3. CHARACTER / ATTITUDE / PERSONALITY
a. absent-minded (forgetful)
b. easy-going (relaxed)
c. good-tempered (cheerful)
d. warm-hearted (kind), cold-hearted (unkind)
e. well-known, well-renowned (famous)
f. green-minded,
g. hard-headed (stubborn)
h. well-behaved
i. good-natured
j. well-off (wealthy),
k. two-faced (hypocritical)
l. self-centered (egotistical)
m. quick-witted (intelligent)
4. TASKS / JOBS
a. mind-bending, brain-smashing, head-pounding
b. part-time, full-time, last-minute, time-consuming
c. hand-made, factory-made, self-made, mass-produced
d. record-breaking
e. duty-free
f. top-secret
g. school-related, job-related
5. LOCATION / PLACES / ENVIRONMENT
a. north-east, south-east, north-west, south-west
b. air-conditioned,
c. bullet-proof, sound-proof, earthquake-proof
d. run-down (in poor condition), built-up (lots of buildings in it)
6. FOOD
a. sugar-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free
b. well-done
c. freshly-baked
REFERENCE:
English Vocabulary in Use
Michael McCarthy and Felicity O’Dell
TRY THIS EXERCISE:
1. Think of a person in a certain place. Describe the person and the place using compound adjectives.
