Question

Identify the compound adjective in the given sentence.
The blue-eyed girl I saw on my tour to Spain turned out to be a famous actor.
A) Girl
B) Blue-eyed
C) Spain
D) Famous

Answer 1

Hint: A compound adjective is a ‘two or three-word adjective’, that together works as a single word. The multiple words in a compound adjective are connected by a hyphen. Compound adjectives are always used before a noun and never after a noun. It generally has a structure i.e. adverb/adjective (hyphen) participle.

Complete answer:
In the given sentence, we have two adjectives, ‘blue-eyed’ and ‘famous’, a subject, ‘girl’, and multiple objects, ‘tour’, ‘Spain’ and ‘actor’.

Now let us look into the given options:
Option A) Girl – ‘Girl’ is a common noun and is the subject of the sentence given in the question. It is not an adjective. Thus, this option is incorrect.
Option B) Blue-eyed – This option fits in the structure of a compound adjective. ‘Blue’ is an adjective that is combined with the ‘eye’ of the girl by a ‘hyphen’ and is now acting as a single word. It is also used before the noun. Therefore, this option is correct.
Option C) Spain – ‘Spain’ is the name of a country. The Names of people, places, etc. which are generally one of a kind are all proper nouns. They begin with a capital letter and are generally not preceded by an article. This is not an adjective at all. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
Option D) Famous – The word ‘famous’ is an adjective. In this sentence, it is describing that the ‘girl’ is ‘famous’. But it is a single word only and hence it is a simple adjective. It is not a compound adjective. Thus, this option is also wrong.

Thus, the correct answer is Option (B) Blue-eyed.

Note: In compound adjectives the hyphen is very important. When we say “I have a strong, healing lotion.” It means that the lotion is ‘strong’ and the lotion is ‘healing’. These are two separate adjectives. Whereas if we say, “This is a fast-healing cut” then we mean that the cut is fast-healing or will heal fast. It does not mean that the ‘cut’ is ‘fast’ or the ‘cut’ is ‘healing.’