Compound Adjectives Quiz

You can do this quiz online or print it on paper. It tests some of the material covered on the Compound Adjectives page in our grammar section.

1. A compound adjective is made up of two or more words that together describe a noun in _______ than a single adjective can.

fewer words
less detail
more detail
a) fewer words b) less detail c) more detail

2. Which punctuation mark is nearly always used to connect words in a compound adjective?

a hyphen
a dash
a comma
a) a hyphen b) a dash c) a comma

3. "She's one of our most _______ players." Complete with the compound adjective.

self-confidence
self-confident
self-confidently
a) self-confidence b) self-confident c) self-confidently

4. Which compound adjective is a combination of two adjectives?

light-brown
light-hearted
light-year
a) light-brown b) light-hearted c) light-year

5. Which is a compound adjective made up of an adjective plus a noun?

red-hot
full-time
part-timer
a) red-hot b) full-time c) part-timer

6. Which is a compound adjective combining an adjective and a present participle?

work-shy
hard-working
hardly-working
a) work-shy b) hard-working c) hardly-working

7. Which is a compound adjective with a noun followed by an adjective?

record-breaking
well-known
world-famous
a) record-breaking b) well-known c) world-famous

8. Which is a compound adjective that has a noun followed by a past participle?

middle-class
middle-aged
Middle-Eastern
a) middle-class b) middle-aged c) Middle-Eastern

9. Which is a compound adjective with a noun plus a present participle?

heart-breaking
heart-broken
broken-hearted
a) heart-breaking b) heart-broken c) broken-hearted

10. Which is a compound adjective combining an adverb and a past participle?

well-meaning
well-mannered
well-known
a) well-meaning b) well-mannered c) well-known

Your score is:

Correct answers:

Matt Errey Contributor: Matt Errey. Matt is the author of several books including 1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context and Common English Idioms for learners, and Matt's ESL Games and Quizzes for teachers.