What is a Compound Noun?
A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more separate words (although usually made of just two).house | + | plant | = | houseplant |
adjective | + | noun | = | greenhouse |
adjective | + | verb | = | broadcast |
adverb | + | noun | = | bystander |
adverb | + | verb | = | input |
noun | + | adverb | = | hanger-on |
noun | + | noun | = | bathroom |
noun | + | verb | = | ring toss |
verb | + | adverb | = | lookout |
verb | + | noun | = | rattle snake |
Pronunciation
As you may already know, each word in English has a preferred stress. The stress is the part of the word that usually has more emphasis than the rest of the word.computer = comPUtar football = FOOTball reply = rePLYWith regards to pronunciation, we treat the whole compound noun as a single word and usually put the stress on the first syllable.
MOtor | + | CYcle | = | MOtorcycle |
PUBlic | + | SPEAKing | = | PUBlic speaking |
SCHOOL | + | TEAcher | = | SCHOOL teacher |
(stress the same on both words) I’m going to the white house. = I’m going to a house that is white.
(stress on the first syllable) I’m going to the white house. = I’m going to where the president of the USA lives.
Closed Form List
- takeout
- notebook
- overthrow
- shoelace
- haircut
- blackboard
- toothpaste
- snowfall
- keyboard
- secondhand
Hyphenated Form List
- long-term
- take-off
- check-up
- mother-in-law
- jack-in-the-box
- well-being
- has-been
- vice-president
- go-between
- merry-go-round
Open Form List
- hot dog
- swimming pool
- dinner table
- mobile phone
- washing machine
- top hat
- fish tank
- sweet tooth
- post office
- full moon
Compound Nouns Quiz
See what you can remember from the article with this quiz below! What is a compound noun?
Which is a compound noun?
What are the names of the 3 forms of compound noun?
White House
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passer-by
Where do we grow plants?
What do we use to make phone calls?
Who is the mother of my wife?
The stress of a compound noun usually...
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Compound Nouns
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