Advanced Compound Adjectives
Learning Goals
Understand the meaning and usage of advanced compound adjectives.
Form compound adjectives by combining nouns, adjectives, and participles.
Use compound adjectives in real-life contexts to describe people, things, and situations.
Practice using compound adjectives through fun and engaging activities.
What Are Compound Adjectives?
A compound adjective is an adjective made up of two or more words that work together to describe something or someone. The words in a compound adjective are usually connected with a hyphen (-).
Examples of compound adjectives:
- Time-consuming: Something that takes a lot of time.
- Example: “The project was time-consuming, but it was worth it.”
- State-of-the-art: The best or most modern in a particular field.
- Example: “She has a state-of-the-art smartphone.”
- Hard-working: A person who works diligently and puts in effort.
- Example: “He is a hard-working student who always gets good grades.”
- Open-minded: A person who is willing to consider new ideas.
- Example: “She’s very open-minded about different cultures.”
Structure of Compound Adjectives
- Adjective + Noun: e.g., high-pitched, cold-blooded
- Noun + Adjective: e.g., full-length, middle-aged
- Adjective + Past Participle: e.g., well-known, broken-hearted
- Noun + Past Participle: e.g., money-making, time-consuming
List of Compound Adjectives – Part 1
Time-consuming – Taking a lot of time.
State-of-the-art – Very modern or advanced.
Hard-working – Someone who puts a lot of effort into their work.
Well-known – Famous or widely recognized.
High-pitched – A sound that is sharp or high in frequency.
Old-fashioned – Not modern; from an earlier time.
Open-minded – Willing to consider new ideas or opinions.
Full-time – Involving a full workday or full commitment.
Short-tempered – Getting angry easily.
Cold-blooded – Cruel or without compassion.
Middle-aged – Of the age between young adulthood and old age.
Broad-minded – Tolerant and accepting of different ideas.
Easy-going – Calm and relaxed.
Fast-paced – Moving quickly, with a lot of activity.
Well-behaved – Acting in an appropriate or polite manner.
List of Compound Adjectives – Part 2
Open-ended – Without a clear or definite conclusion or limit.
High-spirited – Full of energy, enthusiasm, or excitement.
Self-confident – Having a strong belief in one’s abilities or judgment.
Long-lasting – Enduring or remaining effective for a long time.
Cutting-edge – The most advanced or innovative.
Narrow-minded – Not willing to accept or consider different ideas.
Hard-headed – Practical, realistic, and not easily swayed.
Well-respected – Admired or held in high regard by others.
Thought-provoking – Causing people to think deeply.
Full-fledged – Fully developed or complete.
Mind-blowing – Extremely impressive or overwhelming.
Thought-out – Carefully planned or considered.
Money-making – Capable of making money, profitable.
Tight-knit – Close or united, often used for groups or families.
High-profile – Attracting a lot of attention or notice.
The following video summarizes the information of this lesson:
Learning Activities
EGB
Compound Adjective Matching Game
Objective: Match compound adjectives with their correct meanings and contexts.
Instructions:
- Write a list of compound adjectives (e.g., high-pitched, well-known, hard-working, state-of-the-art) on one set of cards and a list of definitions or contexts on another set (e.g., “A person who works a lot” or “A very modern device”).
- You will work in pairs or small groups. The task is to match each compound adjective with its correct definition or context.
- After the matching game, each pair or group will use some of the compound adjectives in sentences based on real-life situations.
- Variation: For a more interactive approach, students can act out the meaning of each adjective while the others guess the compound adjective.
My Perfect Day Description
Objective: Use compound adjectives to describe a perfect day.
Instructions:
- Imagine your perfect day and describe it using as many compound adjectives as possible.
- For example: “My time-consuming morning routine involves a state-of-the-art coffee machine and high-pitched music to wake me up.”
- You can draw or write a short paragraph describing your perfect day using compound adjectives. Then, share your description with a partner or the class.
- Variation: After sharing, partners can guess which compound adjectives were used and explain their meanings.
BGU
Compound Adjective Story Challenge
Objective: Create a short story using compound adjectives to describe characters and situations.
Instructions:
- In small groups, write a short story (around 200-300 words) using at least five compound adjectives.
- Make sure to describe characters, settings, and actions with compound adjectives.
- For example: “The well-known scientist was working on a state-of-the-art robot that could perform time-consuming tasks.”
- Afterward, each group presents their story to the class, and the class tries to identify the compound adjectives used.
- Variation: After the story presentation, other groups can ask questions about the characters or events in the story, and the presenting group must answer using compound adjectives.
Compound Adjective Debate
Objective: Use compound adjectives in a formal debate setting.
Instructions:
- Choose a topic for debate, such as “Is social media time-consuming or helpful?” or “Are modern devices state-of-the-art or just a waste of money?”
- Divide the class into two teams, one arguing for the topic and the other against it.
- Each team must use compound adjectives in their arguments to describe different aspects of the issue.
- For example: “Using social media can be highly addictive and time-consuming, but it also connects people with well-known influencers.”
- After the debate, reflect on how compound adjectives made the arguments more specific and engaging.
