Question

Identify the compound adjective in the given sentence-
My seven-year-old son loves to play football.
a) seven-year-old
b) Loves
c) Football
d) None of the above.

Answer 1

Hint:A compound modifier is a compound of two or more attributive words: that is two or more words that collectively modify a noun.

Complete answer:
Compound modifiers are grammatically equivalent to single word modifiers and can be used in combination with other modifiers. We use a hyphen to connect the word English with speaking to show that it is one adjective (or one idea). This adjective with two words joined by the hyphen is called a compound adjective. For example, Our office is in a twenty-story building. In the given question, we have to identify the compound adjective in the given sentence.
Now, let us examine all the given options to find out the correct answer :
Option ‘a’ is seven-year-old. This is describing the age of the son. It is an adjective, and it also has the use of hyphens. So, this is the compound adjective.
Option ‘b’ is Loves. It is a noun that means an intense feeling of deep affection. This is not an adjective. There is no use of hyphens as well, so this is an incorrect option.
Option ‘c’ is Football. It is also a noun and not an adjective. We cannot consider this option as the correct answer because there is no use of hyphen and it is not a compound adjective.
Option ‘d’ is None of the above.
As we have analyzed all the given options, we can easily figure out the correct answer. Here, the compound adjective in the given sentence – My seven-year-old son loves to play football – “seven-year-old” is a compound adjective. So, the correct answer is “Option a”.

Note:
Sometimes combined adjectives are also called hyphenated adjectives. The hyphen is used because it helps avoid the confusion that can result in having two different adjectives right before a noun.