Compound nouns can be made up of more than one word that functions as a noun. [1] Compound nouns are predominantly combinations of two nouns but can also combine verbs and prepositions, adjectives and nouns, or other parts of speech. [2] Compound nouns can be written as two words, with a hyphen, or as one word depending on the specific noun. [3] Like simple nouns, compound nouns can also be countable or uncountable.
Compound nouns can be made up of more than one word that functions as a noun. [1] Compound nouns are predominantly combinations of two nouns but can also combine verbs and prepositions, adjectives and nouns, or other parts of speech. [2] Compound nouns can be written as two words, with a hyphen, or as one word depending on the specific noun. [3] Like simple nouns, compound nouns can also be countable or uncountable.
Compound nouns can be made up of more than one word that functions as a noun. [1] Compound nouns are predominantly combinations of two nouns but can also combine verbs and prepositions, adjectives and nouns, or other parts of speech. [2] Compound nouns can be written as two words, with a hyphen, or as one word depending on the specific noun. [3] Like simple nouns, compound nouns can also be countable or uncountable.
Compound nouns can be made up of more than one word that functions as a noun. [1] Compound nouns are predominantly combinations of two nouns but can also combine verbs and prepositions, adjectives and nouns, or other parts of speech. [2] Compound nouns can be written as two words, with a hyphen, or as one word depending on the specific noun. [3] Like simple nouns, compound nouns can also be countable or uncountable.
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
You are on page 1/ 6
Compound nouns
Compound nouns • A compound noun is a fixed expression which is made up of more than one word and functions as a noun. • Compound nouns are predominantly combinations of two nouns (mother board, alarm clock(, but can also be combinations of a verb and a preposition (break-up, feedback), of an adjective and a noun (antique shop), of a noun and a prepositional phrase (mother-in-law), or some other parts of speech, but overall, they function as a noun. Spelling • 1) Some compound nouns can be written as two words such as dining table, railway station, art gallery, hair dresser, swimming pool, etc • 2) Some compound nouns can be written with a hyphen between the words e.g. baby-sitter, mother-tongue, tea-bag, air-traffic, letter-box, data-processing, etc. (Note that the English language has not been standardized, so some of these words can be written without a hyphen e.g. letter box, mother tongue) • 3) Some compound nouns are written as one word e.g. earring, handcuff, sunglasses, sunset, briefcase, suitcase, Countability • Just like simple nouns can be countable or uncountable, the same applies to compound nouns. Some examples are given below: • Countable > blood donor, credit card, pedestrian crossing, windscreen, contact lens (the plural is contact lenses), handcuffs, fingertip, getaway, break-up etc. • Uncountable > data-processing, birth control, junk food, blood pressure, food poisoning, cotton wool, pocket money, hay fever (allergy to pollen) • Compound nouns – verb + preposition Many compound nouns originate from phrasal verbs. There has been a break-out from the local prison. [escape] I never expected the break-up of USSR. [collapse] We are trying to find new outlets for our products. [places to sell] A breakthrough has been made in AIDS research. [important discovery] We parked our car in a lay-by on the by-pass. [parking space at the side of a road; road avoiding the centre of a town] Compound nouns – noun + prepositional phrase • Some common compound nouns that are made up of a noun and a prepositional phrase are the ones we use to determine relationships between people: • Mother-in-law, sister-in-law • Daughter-in-law, father-in-law • However, there are compound nouns formed in this way that donot determine relationships between people, but have some other meanings • E.g. Good-for-nothing [someone who is lazy and never does anything useful]
