COMPOUND NOUNS

WHAT ARE COMPOUND NOUNS?

 We use two or more words together to give more information about someone or something. Such nouns are called Compound Nouns.

Compound Noun (two words) combinations are generally written with or without space in between them. Sometimes a hyphen is required. A habit of consulting any good dictionary may help you to understand this.

Let us understand these three types with a few examples.

EXAMPLES OF COMPOUND NOUNS:

CLOSED:

 railway                                                                                                blackboard 

goldfish

                             

OPEN:

life span

working woman

railway station

HYPHANATED:

self-respect

well-being

brother-in-law

Some compound nouns go with all these three types. You can opt for any style for such words.

e.g. bookshop     book shop       book-shop

Worrying to follow these things? Don't worry! here is a simple way to follow. Write the two words separately in a compound noun and as time grows you will be learning all styles.

USAGE

 e.g. I gave a bar of milk chocolate to my brother. ( a kind of chocolate )

  e.g. I gave a glass of chocolate milk to my brother. (a kind of milk )

e.g. My father has owned an oil shop. (article + object + subject)

Here oil shop (a shop that sells oil) is a compound noun and it is used in a structure.

e.g. A sheepdog is a helpful animal to a shepherd. (a dog that looks after sheep.

Here sheepdog (a dog that looks after sheep) is a compound noun and it is used in a structure.

e.g. Many new arrivals are available in our book store. (a store that sells books)  (noun + noun)

 

                                                   

The first noun is always singular even it reflects a plural meaning.

Cow's milk is good for health. (for products from living things)

Cow leather is used to make shoes. (when an animal is killed to provide something.

He was reading a history book. (a common class of book)

He was reading a cat book.

He was reading a book about cats.

Here this noun+noun combination is used for a classified expression.

She threw a matchbox (compound noun) into a dust bin. (without content in it).

He bought a box of matches for ten rupees. (with content in it) 

My friend wore an expensive gold watch. (material made of)

                                                (noun+noun)

I have many golden memories of my life. (metaphorical)

                   (adjective+noun)

exceptions: wooden chairs,

                    woollen dress.

I purchased a two-hour lesson from a Youtube channel (singular) while my friend purchased four three-hour lessons. (plural)

In measurements, we add a number before the first noun and add a hyphen after that first noun.

When the first noun in a countable noun is used in plural it has a different meaning.

e.g. the appointment board. (the board which deals with a particular appointment)

        the appointments board. (the board which deals with all appointments)

By changing the second noun, we can make a compound noun into a plural.

e.g. tomato seed (s)

     tomato seeds (pl)

some compound nouns are made with an 'ing + noun' form. This tells the function of the second noun. (verbal nouns)

e.g. a living room,

     a chewing gum.

There are some compound nouns with noun + ing structure.

e.g. film-making,

     sunbathing.

These compound words can be formed in the following ways;

noun+noun

noun+verb

adj+noun

adv+noun

V4+noun

adv+verb

verb+adv

adv+noun.

Here is a list of some frequently used Compound Nouns.

KNOW SOME ESSENTIAL COMPOUND NOUNS:

anymore

airline

airport 

aircraft

armchair

address book

air conditioner 

air raid

alarm clock

assembly line 

armchair 

anyplace 

anything 

allover

aeroplane

boyfriend

battlefield 

background 

basketball

battleship

backache

birthday 

baby-sitter

back-seat driver

bank account

bird of prey

book token 

blood donor

brother-in-law

burglar alarm

bus stop

briefcase

bathroom

backlash

baseball

billboard

breakfast

buttercup 

brainchild

boldface

ballroom 

bullfrog

boy scouts

no one

ice cream

bookcase

comeback

carpet 

cowboy 

cupboard 

chopstick

classmate

can opener

come-on 

compact disc

contact lens 

cover-up 

credit card 

crackpot 

cutthroat

chairman 

countdown

courthouse 

checkmate 

clockwork

check-in 

cannot

crosswalk

daredevil 

dishwasher

daydream 

dragonfly

dining room

drawing pin

driving licence

drawbridge

driveway

drawstring 

daytime

duckbill

dairymaid 

everybody

everything

earrings

eyeglasses 

estate agent 

earache

eyeball

eardrum 

earthquake

eyelid

earthward

eyewitness

egghead

eggshell

friendship

fairy tale

film star

fire engine

frying pan

firefly

fourteen

foolproof 

full moon

father-in-law

full-time worker

foreleg

fishpond

forecast

firebreak

fireworks 

footnote

fireboat

fishhook 

fishbowl

fisheye

fishmonger

gentleman

goldfish

grandfather 

grandmother

greenhouse 

grasshopper

grandfather 

glassmaking

grandchild

graveyard 

gearshift 

handcuff

headache 

heartbeat 

highway

health centre

heart attack 

high school 

human being

half-sister 

headlight 

headquarters

household 

hookup 

headline

haircut 

inland

inside 

iceberg

jigsaw

jailbait

jetport

Jellybean

jetliner

Jackpot 

jellyfish

kneecap

keyboard

keypunch

lifespan 

letter-box

looker-on

ladybug 

longterm 

lifetime 

lifesaver 

longhouse 

moonlight 

myself 

marketplace 

mealtime

merry-go-round 

notebook 

newspaper 

nobody

news bulletin 

newsreel 

northeast

nursemaid 

newborn

newsperson 

onset

outside

outdoor 

output 

overdue 

oatmeal 

one-half

over-the-counter 

on-campus hours

onetime

overland

pancake

partnership

photocopy 

package holiday

parking metre 

passer-by 

pen-friend

personal computer 

police station 

post office

password

popcorn

playback

postcard 

quicksand

runner-up

raincoat 

repairman 

rattletrap 

raindrop 

riverbank 

rainwater 

seafood 

seashore

skateboard

skyscraper

sunrise 

snowboard

southeast 

starlight 

strawberry

sunlight 

sunshine 

sailboat 

scarecrow 

snowball 

sunflower

 seventy-three

silversmith

schoolboy 

slowdown

sidekick 

scapegoat 

Sunday

takeover

teardrop

teacup 

thunderstorm

timetable

toolbox 

T-shirt

teabag 

telephone number

traveller's cheque

tea-table

tapeworm 

two-fold

thunderstorm 

textbook 

talebearer

township 

taleteller

teamwork 

typewriter 

uproar

up-to-date

underground

undercut

upload 

upstairs

uptake 

upstream

uplift 

uprising

upstart 

wardrobe 

weekend 

washing machine

wallpaper

workshop 

without 

washroom

whitewall 

wastepaper

weekday 

weatherman 

whatever 

watchmaker 

widespread

watermelon

x-ray 

yourself

youth hostel 

zebra crossing 

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Please share and like the post if you find it useful.