Adjetivos compuestos en inglés

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Archivado en DESTACADOS , Grammar , NIVEL B2 (Advanced) August 10, 2013

Adjetivos compuestos en inglés, ¿sabes lo que

es? Aquí os dejo una amplia explicación, con
muchos ejemplos para que lo entendáis mejor.

What’s a Compound Adjective?

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.

In the UK, your readers will expect you to use hyphens in compound adjectives.

Americans are more lenient. The US ruling is: Use a hyphen if it eliminates ambiguity or
helps your reader, else don’t bother. If you’re unsure, use hyphens. You won’t be marked
down for using hyphens.

The Hyphen Might Be Essential

Sometimes a hyphen is essential to avoid ambiguity. Look at these examples:

a heavy-metal detector

a heavy metal detector

Both are correct, but they mean different things. The first device detects heavy metals. The
second detects metal, and it is heavy. If we’re talking about a device that detects heavy
metals, then putting heavy metal detector would be wrong in 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

*Nota: Los adjetivos no pueden tener ninguna palabra en plural.

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– A three-hours conference (es incorrecto)

– A three-hour conference (es correcto)

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

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 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 – un 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?When these combinations
are used with a copular verb like be or seem, and come after the noun they modify,
are not hyphenated.Compare:The brightly-lit streets in our town discourage
burglars.The streets in our town are brightly lit and discourage burglars.

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