Compound words

• Compound adjectives: we often use compound adjectives to describe people.
• Compound adjectives frequently use a hyphen between the words
• When the first word of a compound is an adjective, the stressis usually on the second word (bigheaded); if the first word is a noun, the stress is usaully on the first word (maneating shark, doglover, suntanned)
• • absent-minded (despistado)
    • I’m a bit absent-minded. I keep forgetting where I put my glasses
  • bigheaded: used colloquially of one who is overly conceited or arrogant;
  • career-orientated (entregado a su profesión)
    • He’s very career-orientated. He even read about law when he’s on holiday
  • far-seeing (eyes)
  • fast-moving (feet)
  • hell-raiser
  • hollow-cheeked (man)
  • hot-headed (man)
  • kind-hearted (de buen corazón)
    • He’s so kind-hearted. He always help everybody even if he’s busy
  • level-headed (equilibrado)
    • They’re really level-headed. Even when they won all that money, they didn’t get too excited
  • self-conscious
  • self-sufficient (autosuficiente)
    • She’s very self-sufficient for a child. She makes her own food, and entertain herself for hours
  • single-minded (resuelto, decidido)
    • He’s very single-minded. It took him ten years to learn the violin and he never gave up
  • stand-offish (altanero, estirado, soberbio)
    • They can be rather stand-offish. At the party they refused to talk to anybody
  • strong willed: strong minded, having a determined will
  • teeth-crammed (mouth)
  • thick-skinned (insensible, de piel dura)
    • Writers have to be thick-skinned, and not to get upset for their work being criticised.
  • washed-out (hair)
  • weather-beaten (face)

Prefixes

• a-
  • apolitical
• arch-
  • arch-rivals
• de-
  • demotivated
    
• in-
  • in-: indecisive
  • irr-: irrelevant
  • im-: impossible
  • ill-
• mis-
  • misfire, misunderstand
• mono-
  • monosyllabic
• multi-
  • multi-talented
• out–
  • outplay, outnumbered
    
• over-
  • overcautious, overweight, overpaid
• semi-
  • semi-professional
• single-
  • single-handedly
• sub-
  • sub-standard
• super-
  • superhuman
• semi-
  • semi-professional, semi-retired
    
• un-
  • unimpressive, unaware, untalented, unimaginative, unfit
    
• under-
  • under-prepared, underestimate, underpaid