Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings

Compound adjectives with -ed endings are extremely useful when you want to describe people, objects and characteristics precisely.

Compare:

He has an open mind.
He is open-minded.

The compound adjective allows us to express the same idea more concisely and naturally.

In this lesson, you will learn how compound adjectives with -ed endings are formed, how to use hyphens correctly, and how expressions such as blue-eyed, open-minded, four-legged and old-fashioned are used in everyday English and in exams such as B2 First and C1 Advanced.

What Are Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings?

A compound adjective is an adjective made from two or more words.

Many compound adjectives ending in -ed have the general meaning:

having a particular feature or characteristic

For example:

blue-eyed = having blue eyes
long-haired = having long hair
four-legged = having four legs
kind-hearted = having a kind nature
open-minded = willing to consider new ideas

These adjectives allow us to describe someone or something efficiently.

How Are -ED Compound Adjectives Formed?

There is not just one structure. Several common patterns occur in English.

Adjective + noun + -ed

Examples:

blue-eyed
long-haired
narrow-minded
kind-hearted
broad-shouldered

The noun describes a feature that the person or thing possesses.

For example:

blue + eye + ed → blue-eyed

A blue-eyed person is someone who has blue eyes.

Number + noun + -ed

Examples:

four-legged
three-legged
two-sided

For example:

a four-legged animal
a three-legged table
a two-sided argument

The meaning is usually having that number of something.

Other Established Compound Adjectives

Some common -ed compounds do not fit neatly into one simple formula and are best learned as complete expressions.

For example:

absent-minded
left-handed
old-fashioned
strong-willed
level-headed

As with many areas of vocabulary, learning the complete expression is often more useful than trying to analyse every word separately.

Compound Adjectives for Appearance

These adjectives are particularly useful when describing people.


blue-eyed	having blue eyes	She is a blue-eyed girl with dark hair.
brown-eyed	having brown eyes	He was tall and brown-eyed.
long-haired	having long hair	A long-haired man was standing by the door.
short-haired	having short hair	She prefers short-haired dogs.
fair-skinned	having light-coloured skin	Fair-skinned people may need stronger sun protection.
broad-shouldered	having broad shoulders	He was a tall, broad-shouldered man.

Notice how much more concise these expressions can be.

Compare:

She is a woman who has long hair.
She is a long-haired woman.

Compound Adjectives for Personality

Compound adjectives with -ed are also very common when describing character and behaviour.


open-minded	willing to consider different ideas	Good teachers should be open-minded.
narrow-minded	unwilling to consider different opinions	Try not to be narrow-minded about other cultures.
kind-hearted	kind and caring	She is a generous, kind-hearted person.
warm-hearted	friendly, kind and sympathetic	Everyone loved his warm-hearted personality.
absent-minded	forgetful because you are thinking about something else	My grandfather can be rather absent-minded.
strong-willed	determined to do what you believe is right	She is a strong-willed woman who rarely gives up.
level-headed	calm and sensible, especially in difficult situations	We need someone level-headed to deal with the problem.

These adjectives are particularly useful in speaking and writing when you need to describe someone’s personality in more detail.

Compound Adjectives for Objects and Physical Features

We can also use -ed compound adjectives to describe animals and objects.


four-legged	having four legs	Most dogs are four-legged animals.
three-legged	having three legs	He sat on a three-legged stool.
two-sided	having two sides	It was a two-sided argument.
flat-roofed	having a flat roof	They stayed in a small flat-roofed house.
long-sleeved	having long sleeves	You should wear a long-sleeved shirt.
high-necked	having a high neckline	She wore a high-necked dress to the ceremony.

Other Common -ED Compound Adjectives

Some expressions are extremely common in everyday English.

Left-handed

A left-handed person naturally uses their left hand for activities such as writing.

The shop sells equipment for left-handed people.

Old-fashioned

Old-fashioned means traditional or no longer modern.

My grandparents are quite old-fashioned.

Chocolate-flavoured

Chocolate-flavoured means having the flavour of chocolate.

I ordered chocolate-flavoured ice cream.

Similar expressions include:

vanilla-flavoured
fruit-flavoured
lemon-flavoured

Hyphens with Compound Adjectives

Hyphens are especially important in compound adjectives because they show that the words belong together.

We write:

a blue-eyed girl
a four-legged animal
an open-minded person
an old-fashioned idea

Many established compound adjectives with -ed also keep their hyphen when they come after the verb be:

She is blue-eyed.
The animal is four-legged.
He is open-minded.
Their ideas are rather old-fashioned.

Therefore, it is best to learn expressions such as blue-eyed, narrow-minded, left-handed and old-fashioned with their hyphens.

The Noun Element Normally Stays Singular

When a noun forms part of an -ed compound adjective, it normally appears in its singular form.

For example:

four legs → four-legged
blue eyes → blue-eyed
long hair → long-haired

We do not say:

❌ four-legs-ed

❌ blue-eyes-ed

Instead, we form:

✔ four-legged

✔ blue-eyed

Don’t Confuse These with Other Compound Adjectives

Not every compound adjective contains -ed.

For example:

a three-year-old child
a ten-page report
a five-foot-tall man
a two-hour journey

These are also compound adjectives, but they follow different patterns.

Notice that the noun still stays singular:

✔ a three-year-old child

❌ ~~a three-years-old child~~

✔ a ten-page report

❌ ~~a ten-pages report~~

You can learn more about these structures in our lesson on Compound Adjectives in English.

Why Are Compound Adjectives Useful for B2 First and C1 Advanced?

Compound adjectives can help you make your English more precise and varied.

They are particularly useful when:

describing people in speaking tasks
describing places or objects
writing reviews and articles
telling stories
discussing people’s personalities
understanding vocabulary in Reading and Use of English

Compare:

She is a person who is willing to listen to other people’s opinions.

With:

She is very open-minded.

The second sentence is shorter, more natural and more precise.

Using vocabulary like this can help you demonstrate a wider lexical range.

Preparing for C1 Advanced?

Understanding how adjectives are formed is particularly useful for C1 Advanced Reading and Use of English, where you need to recognise and produce different word forms accurately.

If you would like more focused practice, try 300 C1 Advanced Word Formation, with hundreds of exam-style questions designed to help you build confidence with nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs.

For complete Use of English preparation, you can also explore the C1 Advanced Use of English Complete Collection.

Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings Practice Worksheet

Would you like some extra practice?

Download the Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings Practice Worksheet in PDF here

FAQ

What are compound adjectives with -ed endings?

They are adjectives made from two or more elements and ending in -ed, such as blue-eyed, long-haired, open-minded and four-legged.

They often describe someone or something as having a particular feature or characteristic.

Do compound adjectives with -ed need a hyphen?

Established compound adjectives such as blue-eyed, left-handed, open-minded and four-legged are normally written with a hyphen.

For example:

a blue-eyed child
The child is blue-eyed.

Why is the noun singular in four-legged and blue-eyed?

When a noun forms part of this type of compound adjective, it normally appears in its singular form.

For example:

four legs → four-legged
blue eyes → blue-eyed

Is three-year-old an -ed compound adjective?

No. Three-year-old is a compound adjective, but it does not belong to the group of compound adjectives ending in -ed.

For example:

a three-year-old child

It follows a different compound-adjective pattern.

Are compound adjectives useful for B2 First and C1 Advanced?

Yes. They are useful for describing people, places and objects precisely and can help you demonstrate a wider vocabulary range in speaking and writing tasks.

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Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings

Published by My Lingua Academy on 19 Sep 201919 Sep 2019

What Are Compound Adjectives with -ED Endings?