1. Match the sentence halves.
1 It was such a far-
2 We’re taking a much-
3 My uncle used to be a highly
4 She’s so single-
5 Your actions could have far-
6 The film is a light-
7 Being absent-
8 She made a half-
a hearted look at the world of fashion.
b needed break in the country next weekend.
c reaching consequences for all of us.
d minded, I often forget things.
e fetched story that no one believed him.
f hearted effort, but wasn’t really trying.
g trained athlete many years ago.
h minded that you won’t change her decision.
Answer
1 e 2 b 3 g 4 h 5 c 6 a 7 d 8 f
2. Complete the sentences with the words below.
breath high mouth old second thought time
1 We had a …………………………taking view from the top of the mountain.
2 This phone is considered very …………………………-fashioned nowadays.
3 I’d never eaten such …………………………-watering dishes before I visited Thailand.
4 Last night’s TV fashion documentary was informative and …………………………-provoking.
5 If you don’t like …………………………-spirited dogs, I don’t recommend this breed.
6 Despite all the …………………………-saving devices I own, I always seem to be busy!
7 Most people own …………………………-hand cars as new ones are so expensive.
Answer
1 breath 2 old 3 mouth 4 thought 5 high
6 time 7 second
3. Complete the sentences with a compound adjective formed from the word in brackets.
1 It may be an interesting article, but it’s not very ………………………… (write).
2 If Zoe’s as ………………………… (look) as her sister, she must be really beautiful!
3 Isn’t that man sitting opposite a ………………………… (known) singer?
4 This job’s only suitable for people from ………………………… (speak) countries such as the UK or Australia.
5 Japan is a very ………………………… (populated) country.
6 Travelling into space must be a ………………………… (blow) experience!
7 I’m always ………………………… (eye) until I’ve had some coffee.
Answer
1 well written 2 good-looking 3 well-known
4 English-speaking 5 densely populated
6 mind-blowing 7 bleary-eyed
4. Choose the correct options (a-c) to complete the text below.
It may be surprising, but scientists still have no 1…….. explanation for why we dream. There are plenty of 2…….. facts about dreams, but little agreement about their purpose. Many 3…….. scientists think that dreams allow a 4…….. opportunity for the brain to clear its ‘hard disk’ while we sleep. Others are more interested in the meaning of dreams, and although it may seem 5…….., some people are said to have predicted the future while dreaming. There is much that is 6…….. about dreams, so when you next wake up 7…….. from a good night’s sleep, why not try writing down your dreams as soon as you wake up? Because apparently, 95% of what you dream is forgotten before you get out of bed!
1 a single-minded
b straightforward
c far-reaching
2 a well-known
b good-looking
c well-written
3 a mind-blowing
b highly respected
c badly paid
4 a time-saving
b second-hand
c much-needed
5 a far-fetched
b half-hearted
c high-spirited
6 a upcoming
b thought-provoking
c old-fashioned
7 a light-hearted
b bleary-eyed
c absent-minded
Answer
1 b 2 a 3 b 4 c 5 a 6 b 7 b
VOCAB BOOST!
Not all compound adjectives, especially those formed from adverb + past participle, appear in a dictionary because they are formed from other words. You should be able to work out the meaning of most of them from the words which form them. For example, a highly paid person is someone who is paid a lot of money.
5. Read the Vocab boost! box. Then complete the second part of each sentence with an explanation. Try not to repeat the words from the compound adjective.
1 A short-sighted person is someone ……………………………………………….
2 A cold-blooded animal is an animal ……………………………………………….
3 A last-minute decision is a decision ……………………………………………….
4 A world-famous tourist attraction is one ……………………………………………….
5 A well-behaved child is a child ……………………………………………….
6 A deeply rooted tradition is a tradition ……………………………………………….
7 An open-minded person is someone ……………………………………………….
Answer
(Possible answers)
1 who can’t see well
2 whose body temperature is affected by the temperature of the air / water
3 made at the latest possible time
4 which is known by people all over the world
5 who has good behaviour
6 whose origins go back a very long time
7 who doesn’t judge other people
Extra exercises
1. Complete the sentences with compound adjectives formed from the words in brackets.
1 The film was more than a little ………………………… . It was completely unbelievable! (fetch)
2 I’ve just read a rather ………………………… article. I’ll send it to you, if you like. (provoke)
3 Max is still a bit ………………………… because he’s only just got up. (eye)
4 The size of the new stadium is ………………………… . It’s absolutely huge! (blow)
5 Once again, Usain Bolt has given another ………………………… performance in the 100 metres. (break)
6 There are so many ………………………… desserts on the menu. I don’t know which one to choose! (water)
Answer
1 far-fetched 2 thought-provoking 3 bleary-eyed
4 mind-blowing 5 record-breaking 6 mouth-watering
2. Match the words below with the definitions (1-6).
diet dish flavour leftovers portion slice
1 Food that remains at the end of a meal. …………………………
2 How food or drink tastes. …………………………
3 A thin piece of food that is cut off a larger portion. …………………………
4 Food served as part of a meal. …………………………
5 The food that you eat and drink regularly. …………………………
6 An amount of food that is given to one person. …………………………
Answer
1 leftovers 2 flavour 3 slice 4 dish 5 diet
6 portion
3. Choose the correct answers (a-c).
1 The doctor says I’ve got a throat infection, so he’s prescribing ………
a antibiotics
b antihistamines
c antiseptic creams
2 Why don’t you take ……… if you’ve got heartburn?
a a painkiller
b an antacid
c an anti-inflammatory
3 The best thing for itchy insect sting is ………
a antibiotics
b painkillers
c antihistamines
4 My sprained ankle is rather swollen, so I’m taking ………
a antacids
b anti-inflammatories
c antibiotics
5 Alex is taking ……… to stop his fractured leg from hurting so much.
a painkillers
b antihistamines
c antacids
Answer
1 a 2 b 3 c 4 b 5 a
4. Complete the sentences asking for clarification.
1 Would you ………………………… saying that again?
2 Is that something ………………………… lasagne?
3 What do you ………………………… by ‘far-reaching’?
4 I’m afraid I didn’t quite ………………………… that.
5 Is that the same ………………………… wholegrain?
6 Sorry, do you think you could ………………………… that, please?
Answer
1 mind 2 like 3 mean 4 catch 5 as 6 repeat
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