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Compound adjectives Formation and pronunciation A compound adjective is formed from two different words, and occasionally three. They are usually written with a hyphen (e.g. good-looking, well-known), and the stress is usually the same on both parts of the compound.
Describing people Many compound adjectives describe a person's appearance, character, and situation. This is William. He isn't well-known (= famous), he isn't well-off (= rich), and I've never heard anyone say he was good-looking (= handsome/attractive). But he's a very nice man - kind, friendly and very easy-going (= relaxed). In this picture he's wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a brand-new (= completely new) hat.
'Well' and 'badly' These adverbs combine with many past participles to form compound adjectives. You can use 'well' or 'badly' in front of the adjective (except well-known, which has no opposite). a well-directed film a well-made pair of shoes a well-written story
a badly-paid job (= a low salary) a badly-behaved child (= acting in a bad way) a badly-dressed young man (= wearing horrible clothes)
A 'five-minute' walk It is common to combine a number and a singular noun to form a compound adjective. It's a fifteen-minute drive to the centre. (= a drive of fifteen minutes) He works in a four-star hotel. (= a hotel with a rating of four stars) I gave her a five-pound note. (= a note with a value of five pounds) The winner was a ten-year-old girl. (= a girl who is ten years old) There was a two-hour delay on our flight. (= the plane was two hours' late)
Common compounds She had a full-time job in a bank, but after the baby was born she changed to a part-time job and just worked in the mornings. The hotel is north-west of here, about ten miles away. (also north-east, south-east, and south-west) Most of the population are right-handed, but about 10% are left-handed. On trains and planes you can buy a first-class ticket if you are happy to pay a lot more. Mary bought a second-hand BMW. (= the car was not brand-new, but was a new car for her)
Note: As with compound nouns, you can often combine different words with one part and form many different compound adjectives. 28
English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)