About Lesson
COMPOUND NOUNS
Definition :
When we put two or more words together to create a new word, we have made a compound noun.
Nouns of more than one word are called compound nouns.
e.g.
| noun + noun | police officer | ice-cream | firefighter |
|---|---|---|---|
| noun + verb | carwash | haircut | milkshake |
| verb + noun | cross-road | cookbook | jump rope |
| adjective + noun | black eye | blue jeans | hotdog |
| adverb + noun | on-looker | downtime | overtime |
| adverb + verb | input | output | upswing |
Compound nouns can take three forms: hyphenated, solid and open.
HYPHENATED COMPOUNDS
When two or more words are connected by one or more hyphens, the result is a hyphenated compound. Some compound words are hyphenated to avoid being misread or ambiguous.
e.g.
| sister-in-law | jack-in-the-box | state-of-the-art |
| shout-out | mind-set | five-year-old |
SOLID COMPOUNDS
Solid compounds are words that are used as a single unit of meaning and it is closed up as solid, or closed, compounds.
e.g.
| rollback | restroom | whatever |
| breakfast | needlepoint | slingshot |
OPEN COMPOUNDS
Sometimes no hyphenating or closing up is necessary to form a compound. Open compounds are words that are used as a single unit of meaning but are still written separately as two words.
e.g.
| wet nurse | roller coaster | whatever |
| sleeping bag | first aid | mug shot |
Learn More about Compound Words: