Compound Words in Use

1. a) Able-bodied    /%eI.bl"bQd.id/  _adjective

Describes someone who is healthy and has no illness, injury or condition that makes it difficult to do the things that other people do:

e.g. All able-bodied young men were forced to join the army.

b) The able-bodied /D@ %eI.bl"bQd.id/   _{plural noun}

e.g. It is hard for the able-bodied to understand the difficulties that disabled people encounter in their daily lives.

2. About-turn  /@%baUt"t3:n/  _noun

a) A change of direction:

e.g. I'd only gone a little way down the street when I remembered I hadn't locked the door, so I made/did a quick about-turn and ran back to the house.

b) A complete change of opinion or behaviour:

e.g. This is the Government's second about-turn on the issue.

3. Above-mentioned    /@%bVv"men.tS@nd/ _adjective

Refers to things or people in a document or book that have been mentioned earlier:

e.g. All of the above-mentioned films won Oscars for best director.

4. a) Absent-minded    /%&b.s@nt"maIn.dId/ _adjective

Describes someone who tends to forget things or does not pay attention to what is happening near them because they are thinking about other things.

e.g. Most of the students remain absent-minded in the class and so they can’t understand what the teachers say.

b) Absent-mindedly  /%&b.s@nt"maIn.dId.li/ _adverb

e.g. She absent-mindedly left her umbrella on the bus.

            c) Absent-mindedness   /%&b.s@nt"maIn.dId.n@s/ _noun

                        e.g. Your absent-mindedness shocked the teacher.

5. Accident-prone  /"&k.sI.d@nt%pr@Un/  _adjective

Describes someone who often has accidents, usually because they are very awkward or clumsy.

e.g. The is too accident-prone , because she had 5 accidents last month.

6. Action-packed    /%&k.S@n"p&kt/ _adjective

Full of exciting events:

e.g. That was an action-packed thriller/weekend/finale.

7. a) Add-on /"&d.Qn/ _noun

                        A piece of equipment which can be connected to a computer to give it an extra use:

e.g. A modem is a useful add-on.

b) An extra part which is added, especially to an officially organized plan, system, agreement,   

            etc:

           e.g. Legal expenses cover is often sold as an add-on to household insurance policies.

8. Ad-lib    /%&d"lIb/ _verb

To speak in public without having planned what to say:

e.g. She ad-libbed her way through the entire speech.

9. Age-old  /"eIdZ%@Uld/  _adjective

Very old:

e.g. It is an age-old story of love and betrayal. It’s an age-old tradition of our country.

10. Aide-de-camp (plural aides-de-camp) /%eId.d@-"k&mp/  _noun

A military or naval officer who helps an officer of higher rank:

e.g. He became Napoleon's aide-de-camp in 1804.