Learn English Vocabulary: Compound Adjectives to describe people

Do you know what a 'compound adjective' is? In today's lesson, I will teach you some very common compound adjectives to describe people. Native speakers use these expressions a lot in everyday conversation. Knowing these compound adjectives will help you understand spoken English, and will help you to speak English more fluently. Make sure you understood the lesson by taking the quiz. Good luck!
https://www.engvid.com/english-vocabulary-compound-adjectives/

TRANSCRIPT

Hi, there. My name is Emma, and in today's video, I am going to teach you some new words. These words are all compound adjectives. So what is a compound adjective? Well, a compound adjective is when you have two different words together with a hyphen. English is full of compound adjectives. I'm going to teach you maybe eight compound adjectives that all have to do with people's personalities. So if you're describing a friend, a roommate, your family, these are the types of words you can use. So let's get started

The first word I want to teach you is "open-minded", okay? "Open-minded". Students have a lot of trouble with the pronunciation of this word. Many students say, "I have" or "I am open-mind"; "I am open-mind." No. You need "open-minded", -ED. Students always forget the "-ED" at the end. So be aware. Be careful. What does it mean to be "open-minded"? If you are open-minded, it means you like to try new things. When something happens, when you have an opportunity to try something new, you will do it. You're a "yes person". If somebody says, "Do you want to eat a spider?" Well, this might be extreme. But in some cultures, they eat spiders. They might ask you, "Do you want to eat a spider?" If you're open-minded, you'll say, "Sure. Yeah. Let's try it." You know, that's a little extreme. There are other cases of being open-minded. Here's another example. "I try to eat the local food because I'm open-minded." Okay? So you like to try new things. You are open-minded. Maybe you have never been outside of your country. If you go to a new country, maybe you'll notice there are differences in the culture. If these differences aren't upsetting to you, if you're willing to meet new people, try new things, learn new ways of living, you are "open-minded".

The opposite of "open-minded" -- just like you open a door -- "closed", "closed-minded". So be careful with the pronunciation of this. "Closed-minded." So it's not close-ed-minded". "Closed-minded." If you are "closed-minded", you don't like to try new things. Trying new things is very uncomfortable for you. So for example -- or thinking in new ways. You don't want to change the way you live. You don't want to think in new ways. You're very traditional, and you don't like change. You are "closed-minded". "My mother won't try anything new. She is closed-minded." Okay? So if somebody doesn't want to change, is very uncomfortable with other cultures, other ideas, they are "closed-minded".

Another "minded" compound adjective, "absent-minded". "Absent" -- you might have heard this word before. If you are not in class, you are "absent"; the teacher will mark you absent. Okay? So when you're absent, you're not there. "Absent-minded" is when your brain is not there. What does this mean? Well, it means you are thinking about something different, so you don't see what's happening. Here's an example to help you understand. I have a friend. My friend, her name is Lara. She is very absent-minded. She's always thinking about boys. Always thinking about her boyfriend, boy troubles. So because of that, sometimes, she forgets to do her homework. She's too busy thinking about one thing. She doesn't realize what's happening around her. She is "absent-minded". So, "Lara is absent-minded. She forgot to do her homework." So you're not thinking about something. You're absent-minded. Your mind is elsewhere.

Another expression, very common expression, "laid-back". "Laid-back." What does it mean to be "laid-back"? Well, this is a very positive expression. It's a good expression. And it means you're a very relaxed person; you don't get angry; you don't get annoyed; you're very calm, relaxed, you go with the flow. You're a very happy, laid-back person. For example, I told you my friend Lara, she's very absent-minded. She's always forgetting to do her homework because she thinks too much about boys. Well, her teacher is a very laid-back teacher. When she doesn't do her homework, her teacher does not get angry. He does not yell at her and say, "Lara, why didn't you do your homework?" No. He's laid-back. He says, "Oh, it's okay. That's fine. It's okay that you didn't do your homework." He doesn't the get angry. He is laid-back. So let's look at some more compound adjectives.