Compound Adjectives

Compound Adjectives  (복합형용사)

What is a compound adjective?

A compound adjective (also known as a compound modifier or a phrasal adjective) is made up of two or more words that modify a single noun. These adjectives usually appear before the noun they modify and are joined by hyphens to show they form a unit.
(복합 형용사는 하나의 명사를 수식하는 두 개 이상의 단어로 구성된다. 이 형용사들은 보통 수식하는 명사 앞에 나타나며 하이픈 (-) 으로 연결되어 하나의 단위를 형성한다는 것을 보여준다.)

Creating compound adjectives

Compound adjectives consist of multiple words that can be composed of adjectives, nouns, quantifiers, participles, adverbs, or other types of words to join two or more words.

(복합형용사는 형용사, 명사, 수량사, 분사, 부사 또는 두 개 이상의 단어를 결합하는 다른 유형의 단어로 구성될 수 있는 여러 단어로 구성된다.)

For example, the conjunction and is often used between two nouns or two adjectives to create a three-word compound adjective.

Let’s look at some examples of the different combinations we can make below.

Adjective + Adjective

Multiple adjectives modifying a single noun are usually separated by commas or listed together without punctuation, depending on their order. However, when adjectives work together as a single unit, they are joined by hyphens, commonly with adjectives indicating color or position.
(하나의 명사를 수식하는 복수의 형용사는 그 순서에 따라 보통 쉼표로 구분되거나 구두점 없이 함께 나열된다. 그러나 형용사가 하나의 단위로 함께 작용할때는 하이픈(-) 에 의해 결합되는데, 일반적으로 색이나 위치를 나타내는 형용사와 함께 결합된다.)
as in:

  • “She had bright, blue-green eyes.”
  • “His orange-yellow skin looked very unhealthy.”
  • “Look in the top-right corner of the screen.”
  • “The scissors are in the bottom-left drawer.”

More often, adjectives are paired with other parts of speech to create compound nouns.

Adverb + Adjective

Adverbs commonly accompany adjectives to modify a noun together. Most adverbs, those derived from adjectives and ending in “-ly,” do not need hyphens as their collaboration with the adjective is clear. Adverbs like “more,” “most,” “less,” “least,” and “very” also usually don’t require hyphens. For other cases, hyphens are generally used to create compound words before a noun.
(부사는 일반적으로 형용사와 함께 명사를 수식한다. 형용사에서 파생되어 “-ly”로 끝나는 대부분의 부사는 형용사와의 협업이 명확하기 때문에 하이픈이 필요하지 않다. “more”, “most”, “less”, “least”, “very”와 같은 부사도 일반적으로 하이픈을 필요로 하지 않습니다. 다른 경우, 하이픈은 아래 보기와 같이 일반적으로 명사 앞에 복합어를 만드는 데 사용된다.)

Here are some examples:

  • “It was a very brave thing to do.”
  • “She is an exceptionally talented girl.”
  • “It was the most beautiful flower in the field.”

but:

  • “It is a not-insignificant amount of money.”
  • “We had a sometimes-happy, often-unpleasant relationship.”
Adjective + Noun

Creating compound adjectives by placing a noun after an adjective is a common practice.
(형용사 뒤에 명사를 붙여서 복합 형용사를 만드는 것은 일반적인 관행이다.)

For example:

  • “They went on a wild-goose chase.”
  • “I can only find part-time work at the moment.”
  • “The dog is a short-hair breed.”
  • “I know this is a last-minute suggestion, but hear me out.”

We can also use nouns before adjectives, as in:

  • “I’d love an ice-cold soda right about now.”
  • “Do you have any sugar-free cookies?”
  • “She was wearing blood-red lipstick.”
Quantifier + Noun

Quantifiers often combine with nouns of measurement (length, height, weight, age, time) to form compound adjectives.
(수량사 (quantifiers) 는 종종 측정 명사(길이, 키, 몸무게, 나이, 시간)와 결합하여 복합 형용사 (compound adjectives) 를 형성한다)

For example:

  • “It is the only 10-story building in the town.”
  • “We bought a three-foot sandwich to share.”
  • “The eight-pound bag fell to the floor.”
  • “This is a very nice 12-year whiskey.”

When indicating age, we often add the adjective old to the end, as in:

  • “His 11-year-old niece is coming to visit.”

(Note that we also use this same hyphenation when making a compound noun from an age, as in “My 11-year-old is coming to visit.”)

Cost is typically expressed using quantifiers with currency symbols ($, £, €, etc.). If the currency is written in words, hyphens are needed to form compound adjectives. The same applies when numerals are written out in words.
(비용 또는 각격은 일반적으로 통화 기호($, £, € 등)가 있는 계량기를 사용하여 표시된다. 만약 통화가 단어로 쓰인다면, 복합 형용사를 형성하기 위해 하이픈이 필요하다. 숫자를 말로 적을 때도 마찬가지다.)

For example:

  • “He bought a $5,000 computer.”
  • “He bought a 5,000-dollar computer.”
  • “He bought a five-thousand-dollar computer.”

We can also use quantifiers with other nouns, too:

  • “There was an 11-car pileup on the highway.”
  • “The theater has a 400-person capacity.”
Participles

Participles from verbs (past and present) can modify nouns like adjectives and can be combined with adjectives, nouns, and adverbs to create compound words.
(동사(과거와 현재)의 분사는 형용사처럼 명사를 수식할 수 있고 형용사, 명사, 부사 등과 결합해 복합어를 만들 수 있다.)

For example:

With nouns
  • “Many legends still survive about man-eating whales, but they are simply untrue.”
  • “It was another record-breaking race for the runner.”
  • “There are many mouth-watering items on the menu.”
  • “I won’t spend another night in this dust-ridden house.”
  • “The crocodile-infested waters are particularly dangerous.”
With adjectives
  • “The table is made from rough-hewn wood.”
  • “My old-fashioned aunt would never approve.”
  • “There are several delicious-sounding things on the menu.”
  • “He has an expensive-looking car.”
With adverbs

Adverbs frequently join with participles to form compound adjectives. Similar to adjectives, compounds with adverbs “more,” “less,” “most,” “least,” and “very” do not require hyphens, nor do adverbs ending in “-ly.”
(부사는 종종 입자와 결합하여 복합 형용사를 형성한다. 형용사와 마찬가지로, “more,” “less,” “most,” “least,” “very” 부사를 가진 복합형용사는 하이픈을 필요로 하지 않으며, “-ly”로 끝나는 부사도 필요하지 않다)

For example:

  • “This company runs like a well-oiled machine.”
  • “I’m ready for a much-needed break.”
  • “We need some forward-thinking individuals for the job.”
  • “They offered me a higher-paying salary to remain in the company.”

but:

  • “Our eyes had to adjust in the dimly lit corridor.”
  • “My early rising brother always scoffs at me when I sleep in late.”
  • “It is a beautifully written story.”
  • “That was the least interesting part of the movie.”

Prepositions and Particles

Prepositions and particles are also used to form compound adjectives, especially when phrasal verbs, idiomatic expressions, or prepositional phrases are used as descriptors. For example:

  • “You need an up-to-date computer to run this software.”
  • “I’ve lived in too many run-down apartments.”
  • “We have never been a for-profit company.”
Other cases
And

When the conjunction and is used between two words (usually nouns) to join them as a single modifier, we must hyphenate all three words. For example:

  • “I find her salt-and-pepper hair very attractive.”
  • “These old stone-and-mortar buildings have stood the test of time.”
Proper Nouns

We sometimes use a multi-word proper noun to identify a noun as belonging to a particular person or brand. In this case, we do not hyphenate the words. For example:

  • “Can you play any Elton John songs?”
  • “Did you see the Arthur Miller play on Broadway?”
Pronouns

Occasionally it is possible to use pronouns (especially personal pronouns) to form compound adjectives, though this is not very common. For example:

  • “It turned into a he-said-she-said situation.”

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