Blog about English
Forming and using compound adjectives.
Compound adjectives consist of two or more words functioning together as a single adjective.
They act as one unit to describe a noun.
She works for a well-known company.
Она работает в известной компании.
"Well-known" functions as one adjective describing "company".
He bought a high-quality laptop.
Он купил качественный ноутбук.
"High-quality" functions as one adjective describing "laptop".
She has a full-time job.
У нее работа на полный рабочий день.
"Full-time" functions as one adjective describing "job".
They stayed at a family-friendly hotel.
Они остановились в отеле, подходящем для семей.
"Family-friendly" functions as one adjective describing "hotel".
We need a long-term solution.
Нам нужно долгосрочное решение.
"Long-term" functions as one adjective describing "solution".
He bought a second-hand car.
Он купил подержанную машину.
"Second-hand" functions as one adjective describing "car".
She gave us a last-minute update.
Она дала нам обновленную информацию в последний момент.
"Last-minute" functions as one adjective describing "update".
They moved into a three-bedroom apartment.
Они переехали в квартиру с тремя спальнями.
"Three-bedroom" functions as one adjective describing "apartment".
Many compound adjectives are written with a hyphen before a noun.
Examples include well-known author, high-quality product and full-time job.
She is a well-known author.
Она известный автор.
"Well-known" is hyphenated before the noun.
We bought a high-quality product.
Мы купили качественный продукт.
"High-quality" is hyphenated before the noun.
He found a part-time job.
Он нашел работу на неполный рабочий день.
"Part-time" is hyphenated before the noun.
They stayed in a smoke-free hotel.
Они остановились в отеле, где не разрешено курить.
"Smoke-free" is hyphenated before the noun.
She booked a five-star hotel.
Она забронировала номер в пятизвездочном отеле.
"Five-star" is hyphenated before the noun.
He gave me a full-length report.
Он дал мне полный отчет.
"Full-length" is hyphenated before the noun.
We need a user-friendly interface.
Нам нужен удобный для пользователя интерфейс.
"User-friendly" is hyphenated because it functions as one adjective.
The company launched a low-cost service.
Компания запустила недорогой сервис.
"Low-cost" is hyphenated before the noun.
Compound adjectives containing numbers usually use a singular noun.
Examples include a ten-year-old child and a five-minute break.
She has a ten-year-old son.
У нее десятилетний сын.
"Ten-year-old" is a compound adjective, so "year" remains singular.
We took a five-minute break.
Мы сделали пятиминутный перерыв.
"Five-minute" uses the singular noun "minute".
They rented a two-bedroom apartment.
Они сняли квартиру с двумя спальнями.
"Two-bedroom" uses the singular noun "bedroom".
He bought a three-year-old car.
Он купил трехлетнюю машину.
"Three-year-old" uses the singular noun "year".
We booked a seven-night vacation package.
Мы забронировали туристический пакет на семь ночей.
"Seven-night" uses the singular noun "night".
She signed a twelve-month lease.
Она подписала договор аренды на двенадцать месяцев.
"Twelve-month" uses the singular noun "month".
He gave a ten-minute presentation.
Он провел десятиминутную презентацию.
"Ten-minute" uses the singular noun "minute".
They built a twenty-foot wall.
Они построили стену высотой двадцать футов.
"Twenty-foot" uses the singular noun "foot".
Many compound adjectives follow common formation patterns.
Examples include long-distance, last-minute, well-known and highly respected.
We took a long-distance flight.
Мы совершили дальний перелет.
"Long-distance" follows an adjective + noun formation pattern.
She made a last-minute decision.
Она приняла решение в последний момент.
"Last-minute" is formed from adjective + noun.
He is a well-known actor.
Он известный актер.
"Well-known" combines an adverb and past participle.
She is a highly respected doctor.
Она очень уважаемый врач.
"Highly respected" combines an adverb and past participle.
They need a high-speed internet connection.
Им нужно высокоскоростное интернет-соединение.
"High-speed" is formed from adjective + noun.
He is a widely recognized expert.
Он широко признанный эксперт.
"Widely recognized" combines an adverb and past participle.
We stayed at a newly renovated hotel.
Мы остановились в недавно отремонтированном отеле.
"Newly renovated" combines an adverb and past participle.
She works for a fast-growing company.
Она работает в быстро развивающейся компании.
"Fast-growing" is a compound adjective with a present participle.
Compound adjectives may also appear after linking verbs.
Examples include The actor is well known and The equipment is state of the art.
The actor is well known.
Этот актер широко известен.
"Well known" appears after the linking verb and is not hyphenated.
The company is well established.
Компания прочно утвердилась на рынке.
"Well established" is predicative and is normally not hyphenated.
The equipment is state-of-the-art.
Оборудование самое современное.
"State-of-the-art" functions as a compound adjective after the linking verb.
The system is user-friendly.
Система удобна для пользователя.
"User-friendly" remains hyphenated after the linking verb.
The restaurant is family-friendly.
Ресторан подходит для семей.
"Family-friendly" appears after the linking verb.
The building is newly renovated.
Здание недавно отремонтировано.
"Newly renovated" follows the linking verb without a hyphen.
The policy is long-term.
Политика является долгосрочной.
"Long-term" functions predicatively after the linking verb.
The service is cost-effective.
Сервис экономически эффективен.
"Cost-effective" remains hyphenated because it is an established compound adjective.
Hyphens help show that multiple words function together as one adjective.
Correct hyphenation often prevents ambiguity.
She bought a small-business loan package.
Она оформила пакет кредита для малого бизнеса.
"Small-business" uses a hyphen to show that the words function together.
We visited a dog-friendly park.
Мы посетили парк, куда можно с собаками.
"Dog-friendly" is hyphenated because it functions as one adjective.
She met a well-known journalist.
Она встретила известного журналиста.
"Well-known" is hyphenated before the noun.
The journalist is well known.
Журналист широко известен.
"Well known" is normally not hyphenated after the linking verb.
They live in a three-story building.
Они живут в трехэтажном здании.
"Three-story" is hyphenated and "story" remains singular.
The building is three stories tall.
Здание имеет три этажа.
"Three stories" is an ordinary noun phrase, not a compound adjective.
He bought a high-speed train ticket.
Он купил билет на скоростной поезд.
"High-speed" is hyphenated before the noun.
The train is high-speed.
Поезд является высокоскоростным.
"High-speed" functions as a compound adjective in this sentence.
English compound adjectives may be written as separate words, one word or hyphenated forms.
Spelling conventions vary according to usage and dictionaries.
She bought a high-quality laptop.
Она купила качественный ноутбук.
"High-quality" is a hyphenated compound adjective.
He is a well-known actor.
Он известный актер.
"Well-known" is a hyphenated compound adjective.
They need a full-time employee.
Им нужен сотрудник на полный рабочий день.
"Full-time" is a hyphenated compound adjective.
She gave us a nationwide update.
Она сообщила общенациональные новости.
"Nationwide" is written as one word.
We visited a downtown restaurant.
Мы посетили ресторан в центре города.
"Downtown" is commonly written as one word in American English.
They installed a state-of-the-art security system.
Они установили современную систему безопасности.
"State-of-the-art" is a multiword hyphenated compound adjective.
She bought a long-distance calling plan.
Она купила тариф для междугородних звонков.
"Long-distance" is conventionally hyphenated before the noun.
He works in a fast-growing industry.
Он работает в быстро развивающейся отрасли.
"Fast-growing" is a hyphenated compound adjective.
Present and past participles frequently appear in compound adjectives.
Examples include time-consuming, heart-breaking and well-prepared.
It was a time-consuming project.
Это был трудоемкий проект.
"Time-consuming" combines a noun with a present participle.
The movie had a heart-breaking ending.
У фильма был душераздирающий конец.
"Heart-breaking" combines a noun with a present participle.
She is a well-prepared candidate.
Она хорошо подготовленный кандидат.
"Well-prepared" combines an adverb with a past participle.
They hired a highly trained engineer.
Они наняли высококвалифицированного инженера.
"Highly trained" combines an adverb with a past participle.
The company introduced a newly developed product.
Компания представила недавно разработанный продукт.
"Newly developed" combines an adverb with a past participle.
She accepted a well-paid position.
Она приняла хорошо оплачиваемую должность.
"Well-paid" combines an adverb with a past participle.
He wrote a thought-provoking article.
Он написал заставляющую задуматься статью.
"Thought-provoking" functions as one compound adjective.
They moved into a recently renovated apartment.
Они переехали в недавно отремонтированную квартиру.
"Recently renovated" combines an adverb with a past participle.
Some compound adjectives become established vocabulary items with fixed spellings.
Examples include old-fashioned, world-famous and good-looking.
She wore an old-fashioned dress.
Она надела старомодное платье.
"Old-fashioned" is an established compound adjective.
He is a world-famous actor.
Он всемирно известный актер.
"World-famous" is an established compound adjective.
She is a good-looking person.
Она привлекательная женщина.
"Good-looking" has an established meaning and spelling.
They launched a record-breaking campaign.
Они запустили кампанию, установившую рекорд.
"Record-breaking" is an established compound adjective.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Это была уникальная возможность, выпадающая раз в жизни.
"Once-in-a-lifetime" is a fixed compound adjective.
She made a life-changing decision.
Она приняла судьбоносное решение.
"Life-changing" is an established compound adjective.
He is a hard-working employee.
Он трудолюбивый сотрудник.
"Hard-working" is a common lexicalized compound adjective.
They chose a user-friendly design.
Они выбрали удобный для пользователя дизайн.
"User-friendly" is an established compound adjective.
English speakers regularly create new compound adjectives when needed.
This flexibility makes compound adjectives highly productive in both speech and writing.
The company launched a budget-friendly service.
Компания запустила доступный по цене сервис.
"Budget-friendly" is a productive compound adjective.
She works on a cloud-based platform.
Она работает на облачной платформе.
"Cloud-based" combines a noun with a past participle.
They developed a privacy-focused feature.
Они разработали функцию, ориентированную на конфиденциальность.
"Privacy-focused" is a productive compound adjective.
The company introduced an AI-powered search tool.
Компания представила поисковый инструмент на основе ИИ.
"AI-powered" is a productive modern compound adjective.
We need a mobile-friendly website.
Нам нужен сайт, удобный для мобильных устройств.
"Mobile-friendly" is a productive compound adjective.
They built a customer-focused support system.
Они создали систему поддержки, ориентированную на клиентов.
"Customer-focused" is formed productively from a noun and participle.
The startup released a data-driven analytics tool.
Стартап выпустил аналитический инструмент, основанный на данных.
"Data-driven" is a productive modern compound adjective.
The hotel offers pet-friendly rooms.
Отель предлагает номера, подходящие для гостей с домашними животными.
"Pet-friendly" is a productive compound adjective.
Hyphenation practices may differ between style guides and varieties of English.
Writers should follow the conventions appropriate for their audience and context.
She is a well-known researcher.
Она известный исследователь.
"Well-known" is conventionally hyphenated before the noun.
The researcher is well known.
Исследователь широко известен.
"Well known" is normally written without a hyphen after the linking verb.
The company introduced a high-speed network.
Компания представила высокоскоростную сеть.
"High-speed" is hyphenated before the noun.
They bought a state-of-the-art sound system.
Они купили современную звуковую систему.
"State-of-the-art" is hyphenated before the noun.
The sound system is state of the art.
Звуковая система является современной.
"State of the art" is written without hyphens when used predicatively.
The style guide recommends consistent hyphenation.
Руководство по стилю рекомендует последовательную постановку дефисов.
Established compounds may have different hyphenation conventions across style guides.
Writers should check the preferred form in a current dictionary.
Авторам следует проверять предпочтительную форму в современном словаре.
Hyphenation can change as compounds become established in English.
The report follows the organization's preferred style.
Отчет соответствует предпочитаемому организацией стилю.
Following a consistent style is especially important in formal writing.
Use the correct structure and hyphenation when forming compound adjectives.
Common mistakes include using plural nouns after numbers, omitting necessary hyphens and treating compound adjectives as separate modifiers.
She is a ten-year-old girl.
Она десятилетняя девочка.
"Ten-year-old" uses singular "year" because the whole expression is a compound adjective.
We took a five-minute break.
Мы сделали пятиминутный перерыв.
"Five-minute" uses singular "minute" inside the compound adjective.
She is a well-known author.
Она известный автор.
"Well-known" is hyphenated before the noun.
The author is well known.
Автор широко известен.
"Well known" is normally not hyphenated after the linking verb.
They moved into a two-bedroom apartment.
Они переехали в квартиру с двумя спальнями.
"Two-bedroom" is a compound adjective, so "bedroom" remains singular.
He bought a high-quality camera.
Он купил качественную камеру.
"High-quality" is hyphenated because the words function together as one adjective.
She works for a fast-growing company.
Она работает в быстро развивающейся компании.
"Fast-growing" is one compound adjective.
We stayed at a family-friendly hotel.
Мы остановились в отеле, подходящем для семей.
"Family-friendly" is hyphenated because it functions as one adjective before the noun.