6 Minute Vocabulary - Compound adjectives

This is the BBC . This podcast is supported by advertising outside the . This is a download from BBC Learning English to find out more , visit our website , six minutes from BBC Learning English dot com . Hello and welcome to Six Minute Vocabulary , I'm Thin , and I'm Catherine . In today's program , we're looking at compound adjectives like in a 22 hour journey . We'll look at what compound adjectives are . We'll see how to use them , and they'll be a punctuation tip and a quiz and we'll leave you with a top tip for learning vocabulary . But first , let's hear from Rob . Rob's a racing driver and he's being interviewed after a race . Yes . And here's a question to think about while you listen . How fast was Rob's lap time ? Let's find out . Rob , congratulations on your latest win . What did that last victory mean to you ? Honestly , I expected to win . I mean , you don't come second in a high quality vehicle like mine . That's true . It's an impressive motor . But what you did was amazing . Your fastest lap time was truly incredible . Well , you're right . You don't see a 70 second lap every day . Thanks for your time , Rob . Well , this year , the drivers are hoping to complete the four kilometer course in an even faster time . So , Rob , the racing driver did a 70 second lap well done to you if you got that right . And that's our first example of a compound A. It's made with a number like 70 and a noun like second , 70 second . We put seventy second in front of another noun like lap making a compound adjective which describes a noun , a 70 second lap . Let's hear another example again , starting with a number . But this time the noun describes lenth instead of time . Well , this year the drivers are hoping to complete the four kilometer course in an even faster time . So the number four with the noun kilometer go together to make an adjective for km2 and take note there's no s at the end of KM . That's right . And there's no because the word kilometer functions as an adjective here and we can't make adjectives plural . So the adjective for KM describes the noun course a four kilometer course . That's right . Some more examples with length are a 26 mile race , a six foot man . Now for a punctuation note , when you write a number noun , compound adjective , you need to join the two parts together with a hyphen , a little horizontal line between the two words . That's right . So you write a 70 hyphen , second lap , a six hyphen . You're listening to BBC Learning English . And we're talking about compound adjectives . Here's Rob again , listen out for another type of compound adjective . Honestly , I expected to win . I mean , you don't come second in a high quality vehicle like mine . Did you get that ? It was high quality , a high quality vehicle . So as well as using numbers , we can also make compound adjectives with the words high or low , plus a noun so high plus quality equals high quality , like high quality vehicle low plus cost equals low cost , like low cost airline . How do you feel about low cost airlines , Catherine ? Yes , well , after my last experience , never again . Never again . Never , never some more examples anyway . , high speed , a high speed motorbike and low fat and low fat yogurt . And if you're writing , don't forget , join the two parts together with a hyphen . And now it's quiz time completely sentences . will tell you the answers . Ready ? No one in a balanced diet , it's important to eat a high quality carbohydrates or be high quality carbohydrates . It's a high quality carbohydrates . Well done if you got that . Number two , the flight from London to New York is a a nine hour trip or B , a nine hour trip . The answer is B , a nine hour trip . Number three , every morning , Catherine goes for a a six mile run or B , a six miles run . And the answer is a six mile run . But I don't you don't really deal in any case . Well done . If you got those right at home and we're almost at the end of the show . But before we go , here's today's top tip for learning vocabulary , which is , . If you use social media , join an English learning group . When you learn a new word , try to include it in at least three of your posts that will help you remember the word . And there's more about this at BBC Learning English dot com . Join us again for more six minute vocabulary by .