Compound adjectives with numbers: ‘A two-day trip’ — Explanation

Practice compound adjectives with numbers at B1 level. Clear explanations, gap fill exercises, and grammar tests like a two-day trip.

Compound Adjectives with Numbers Exercises

We often use compound adjectives with numbers in English to talk about time, length, distance, weight, or amount. It's common to use these adjectives in everyday English, and they're especially helpful when talking about trips, classes, events, and measurements.

What is a compound adjective that has numbers?

To make a compound adjective with numbers, you need to combine a number, a noun, and hyphens to describe another noun.

Structure:
number + singular noun

The compound adjective goes before the noun it describes.

Example:

• a two-day trip
• a three-hour meeting

Even though the meaning is plural, the noun that makes up the compound adjective is always singular.

Using hyphens correctly

When compound adjectives with numbers come before a noun, they need to be separated by hyphens.

Correct:

• a two-day trip
• a ten-page report

Incorrect:

• a two days trip
• a ten pages report

Common examples at B1 level

Time:

• a one-week holiday
• a four-hour flight

Distance:

• a five-kilometre walk
• a ten-mile run

Size and quantity:

• a three-bedroom apartment
• a two-year contract

Comparing adjective forms

These two sentences are different:

• The trip lasted two days.
• It was a two-day trip.

The first sentence has a noun phrase that says "two days."
Two-day is a compound adjective that describes trip in the second sentence.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Incorrect: a two-days trip
• Correct: a two-day trip
• Incorrect: a three-hours meeting
• Correct: a three-hour meeting

Keep in mind that the noun in a compound adjective is never more than one.

How to learn compound adjectives with numbers

• Use the noun's singular form all the time.
• When the adjective comes before the noun, use hyphens.
• Rewrite sentences to practice.
• You can see these types of ads in travel ads, news, and schedules.