Learn all about Compound Nouns with Examples in Table Form ~ Learn Ec English

What is a Compound Noun?

A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words.

Example:

washing + machine = washing machine

tooth + brush = toothbrush

clean + cut = clean-cut

The separate words form a compound noun that takes on a new meaning.

Example: house + fly = housefly

Three forms of compound nouns

There are three forms of compound nouns.

1. One word

In the closed form, the words are joined together as one word and act as a single noun.

Examples: football, toothbrush, sunglasses, etc.

2. Separate words

Some compound nouns are written separately as two words.

Examples: swimming pool, bus stop, full moon, etc.

3. Hyphenated words

In the hyphenated form, two or more words are joined together by one or more hyphens.

Examples: mother-in-law, dry-cleaning, self-esteem, etc.

There are no definite rules on which form to use. For example, there are differences between American English and British English. In addition, different writers may choose to use different forms of the same compound noun. Take, for example, the compound noun CONTAINERSHIP, it can be one word, two separate words or a hyphenated word.

one word: containership

two words: container ship

hyphenated word: container-ship

Formation of compound nouns

A compound noun can be formed with two nouns.

noun + noun = compound noun

Here are some examples of the noun + noun structure.

Noun	+	Noun	=	Compound noun
tooth	+	brush	=	toothbrush
mouse	+	pad	=	mousepad
air	+	ticket	=	air ticket
day	+	dream	=	daydream
rain	+	bow	=	rainbow
snow	+	man	=	snowman

The noun + noun structure is commonly used for expressions which specify certain kinds of things.
Example: foot + ball = football
Here the first noun foot modifies or describes the second noun ball. In other words, it has the same function as a classifying adjective which places people and things into categories or classes. Together the two words take on a new meaning.

Compound nouns can be formed with a gerund and a noun.

gerund + noun = compound noun
Let us look at some examples of gerund + noun structure.

Gerund	+	Noun	=	Compound noun
writing	+	desk	=	writing-desk
walking	+	stick	=	walking-stick
working	+	day	=	working-day
learning	+	material	=	learning material
waiting	+	list	=	waiting list
spelling	+	book	=	spelling book

Many compound nouns are made up of an adjective and a noun.

adjective + noun = compound noun
In this structure, the first word is an adjective, that describes or modifies or modifies a second word, which is a noun. In other words, the first word provides clues about the second word.

Let us look at some examples of the adjective + noun structure.

Adjective	+	Noun	=	Compound noun
loud	+	speaker	=	loudspeaker
sweet	+	heart	=	sweetheart
hot	+	dog	=	hotdog
fast	+	food	=	fast food
noble	+	man	=	nobleman
black	+	board	=	blackboard

There are some other ways of forming compound nouns.

Here are examples of other ways of forming compound nouns.

Formation	Examples
Noun + Verb	haircut, sunrise
Noun + Preposition	passer-by, voice-over
Verb + Noun	breakfast, scarecrow
Verb + Preposition	checkout, lock-up
Preposition + Verb	output, outbreak
Preposition + Noun	downhill, underground

Let us look at the compound noun scarecrow. 'Scare' is a verb(to scare means to frighten). A crow is a black bird with glossy feathers, a heavy beak and a harsh and loud voice. Together these two words take on a new meaning. A scarecrow is a strong model of a person dressed up in old clothes. It is set up in a farmland to scare, crows and other birds away so that they will not feed on the growing crops.

Hyphenate for clarity

How did you determine when compound nouns should be hyphenated. The general rule is to hyphenate for clarity. A hyphen can be useful to avoid confusion.

Take for example, is it walking-stick or walking stick? Both are acceptable but walking-stick makes it clear that the stick is used for walking.

let us look at another example,

* dirty laundry-basket

This means that the basket is dirty and is used for laundry.

* dirty-laundry basket

This means that the basket is used to contain the dirty laundry.

So a hyphen is sometimes essential to avoid ambiguity or confusion.

Word stress

'Greenhouse' or 'Green house'?

Both words have different meanings.

'Greenhouse' access one single noun. It is stressed on the first-word green. As one word it is a glass house for growing plants.

On the other hand, when we use an adjective, 'green' and a noun, 'house', as two separate words, the noun 'house' is stressed. Green is an adjective to describe the noun house, 'house' is stressed because the house is the main word. As two words(green 'house), it is a house that is painted in green.

Countable compound nouns

Generally, to form the plural forms of compound nouns we add 's' or 'es' to the main word.

For example:

Singular	Plural
son-in-law	sons-in-law
toothbrush	toothbrushes
passer-by	passers-by
teaspoonful	teaspoonfuls
lieutenant colonel	lieutenant colonels
runner-up	runners-up
bystander	bystanders

Singular/plural only compound nouns

Compound nouns that are only used in either the singular or the plural form.

Singular only	Plural only
pocket money	fabric scissors
junk food	human rights
greenhouse effect	sunglasses
death penalty	denim jeans
food poisoning	breaking news

Possessive compound nouns

Compound nouns can be made possessive by adding an apostrophe s('s) at the end of the word. For example,

daughter-in-law's birthday (singular)

I hope this explanation will help you to understand compound nouns better.

See Also
Common Nouns and Proper Nouns
Abstract Nouns and Concrete Nouns

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