Compound adjective exercises

1. Using hyphens in compound adjectives: Which sentences are correct?

A. The group was full of rowdy 10 year old schoolboys.

B. The group was full of rowdy 10-year-old schoolboys.

A. The actress is well known.

B. The actress is well-known.

A. They enjoyed a three-year profit streak.

B. They enjoyed a three-year-profit streak.

2. Choose the correct compound adjective for each sentence.

A. He is fond of ______________________ Scotch.

○ good
○ 12-year-old
○ 10 year old

B. The weather has been ___________________ lately.

○ terribly-cold
○ terribly cold
○ too cold

C. Babysitting these kids is like trying to manage a _____________________.

○ three ring circus
○ three-ring-circus
○ three-ring circus

3. Fill in the blanks with the best compound adjective for the situation:

A. Melanie has everything she needs. She is _____________________.

○ two-faced
○ very badly behaved
○ well-cared for

B. Louis overcomes difficulties easily. He is _______________________.

○ short-tempered
○ level-headed
○ internationally renowned

C. Mr. Chan likes to hear about new ideas. He is ______________________.

○ strong-minded
○ two faced
○ open-minded
4. Fill in the blanks with the best phrase for the situation:

A. Jesse was promoted, so he bought ________________________________.

○ himself-a brand new car
○ himself a brand-new-car
○ himself a brand-new car

B. The _______________________ has been going on for decades.

○ gun control debate
○ gun-control debate
○ gun-control-debate

C. The sound of ___________________________ always soothes my mind.

○ gently-flowing water
○ gently flowing water
○ gently-flowing-water

5. Creating compound adjectives: From each group, choose the sentence pair that makes the
most sense.

A. I don’t like glue that dries slowly. = This is a quick-drying glue.

B. Did you know that some plants eat meat? = Did you know that there are meat-eating
plants?
C. Professor Brown has a very narrow mind. = Professor Brown’s mind is very narrow.
A. The price of the car was high. = It was a high-priced car.
B. The meal tasted good. = This was a tasteful-meal.
C. He likes to weigh in on political issues. = He is loud-mouthed and boring.
A. The tapeworm measured 35 inches. = The tape-worm measured 35-inches.
B. The duck has flat feet. = That’s a flat-footed duck.
C. Why not try some carrot juice? = Have some carrot-juice.