Compound Adjectives
A single adjective made up of two or more words is called a compound adjective.
The words in a compound adjective can be linked together by a hyphen (or hyphens) to show they are part of the same adjective.
- UK: Readers expect you to use hyphens in compound adjectives.
- US: More lenient → use a hyphen if it eliminates ambiguity or helps the reader. If unsure, use it. You won’t be marked down for using hyphens.
The Hyphen Might Be Essential
Sometimes a hyphen is essential to avoid ambiguity:
- a heavy-metal detector → detects heavy metals
- a heavy metal detector → a detector that is heavy and made of metal
👉 If we’re talking about a device that detects heavy metals, then writing heavy metal detector would be wrong in both the UK and the US.
Examples
- An actor who is well known → A well-known actor
- A girl who is four years old → A four-year-old girl
- A person who works hard → A hard-working person
- A conference that lasts three hours → A three-hour conference
⚠️ Note: Adjectives cannot be plural.
- ❌ A three-hours conference
- ✅ A three-hour conference
Characteristics
- a good-looking girl → una muchacha linda
- a well-dressed woman → una mujer bien vestida
- a pair of high-heeled shoes → un par de zapatos de tacos altos
- a well-known actor → un actor bien conocido
- some handmade toys → algunos juguetes hechos a mano
- a bulletproof vest → un chaleco a prueba de balas
- a first-class ticket → un boleto de primera clase
- a well-kept house → una casa bien conservada
- a part-time job → un trabajo de medio día
- a brand-new radio → una radio completamente nueva
- several duty-free goods → varios productos libres de impuestos
- a one-way street → una calle de una sola vía
- a second-hand car → un coche de segunda mano
Personality
- a hard-working person → una persona trabajadora
- a tight-fisted banker → un banquero tacaño
- a kind-hearted mother → una madre bondadosa
- an absent-minded scientist → un científico distraído
- a two-faced politician → un político falso
- a pigheaded friend → un amigo testarudo
- a smooth-tongued employee → un empleado chupamedias
- a stuck-up model → una modelo engreída
- a self-centered artist → un artista egocéntrico
- a good-natured professor → un profesor bonachón
- a quick-tempered boss → un jefe irascible
- a broad-minded president → un presidente tolerante, de mente abierta
- a narrow-minded minister → un ministro de mente estrecha
Body
- a fair-haired girl → una chica de pelo rubio
- a curly-haired baby → un bebé de pelo rizado
- a green-eyed woman → una mujer de ojos verdes
- a long-legged model → una modelo de piernas largas
- a left-handed boxer → un boxeador zurdo
- a right-handed tennis player → un tenista diestro
- a flatfooted runner → un corredor de pie plano
- a bowlegged cowboy → un vaquero patizambo, chueco
- a short-sighted writer → un escritor corto de vista
- a cross-eyed boy → un chico bizco
- a dark-skinned person → una persona de piel oscura
- a narrow-waisted actress → una actriz de cintura angosta
- a freckle-faced little girl → una niñita de cara con pecas
Quantity
- a five-dollar bill → un billete de cinco dólares
- a six-sided figure → una figura de seis lados
- a twenty-year-old girl → una chica de veinte años
- a three-hour conference → una conferencia de tres horas
- a ten-page report → un informe de diez páginas
- a four-day journey → un viaje de cuatro días
- a five-kilometer tunnel → un túnel de cinco kilómetros
- a thirty-question test → una prueba de treinta preguntas
- a two-week tour → un tour de dos semanas
- a ten-minute call → una llamada de diez minutos
- a twenty-mile border → una frontera de veinte millas
- a ten-speed bicycle → una bicicleta de diez velocidades
- a forty-story building → edificio de cuarenta pisos
Hyphen Rule with Copular Verbs
When these combinations are used with a copular verb like be or seem, and come after the noun they modify, they are not hyphenated.
- ✅ The brightly-lit streets in our town discourage burglars.
- ✅ The streets in our town are brightly lit and discourage burglars.