Adrian Vázquez
Topluluk Eğitmeni
Hyphenated compund adjectives using parts of the body.
Hi guys, I would like to know if some of you know about a rule or explanation related with the grammatical construction of compund adjectives that include parts of the body, I have to explain this topic in a lesson that is going to be call "Describe the boy/girl of your dreams using the composed description", so I have some doubts about it, because the person that asked me to prepare the lesson gave me an example that is something that I don't know how to explain.

The examples that I have is:

A big-eyed girl (here I have "eyes" but as "eyed" = A girl with big eyes)

So, I will appreciate your help, and if you can give me other examples that I can use will be great.



You can answer my doubt in English or Spanish there is no problem for me.


Have an excellent day! :)
26 Ağu 2020 05:18
Yorumlar · 2
2
Just be careful not to do this.

<ol><li>It was a terribly hot day.</li><li>It is an amazingly good idea.</li></ol>
Copied from here:

A few body examples.

A long-legged man.
A long legged man.
A short-arsed man
A short arsed man [very informal some say a little vulgar short person]
A big-breasted girl/women
A blue-eyed girl.
A blue eyed girl.
A sure-footed person.
A sure footed person.

I think the possibilities using only body parts is going to be somewhat limited, for choice.

Just make sure that before joining and compounding them, that the second part is also an adjective or been turned into an adjective.

leg -> legged.
foot -> footed.
sure+footed.

As for putting in hyphens. You may not need them all that often. English readers will join them together instinctively in their minds anyway, where obviously required. Such as in your example, "an eyed girl" is nonsense.

26 Ağustos 2020
2
This is correct. I think they're called participle adjectives (hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong)?
Van Morrison's song Brown Eyed Girl is a good example.

Personally I wouldn't hyphenate it, but the use of hyphens can be quite subjective.

Other examples:
- He is long limbed
- He is big eared
- She is small nosed.
26 Ağustos 2020