Blog about English
Formation, spelling and pluralization of compound nouns.
A compound noun is formed by combining two or more words that function as a single noun.
Compound nouns may be written as one word, as separate words or with a hyphen.
Compound nouns are formed from different combinations of words.
The most common patterns are noun+noun, adjective+noun, verb+noun and verb+particle.
Some compound nouns are written as one word.
Examples include toothbrush, bedroom, football and notebook.
Some compound nouns are written as separate words.
Examples include bus stop, post office, coffee table and police officer.
Some compound nouns are joined with a hyphen.
Examples include mother-in-law, editor-in-chief and passer-by.
The plural marker is usually added to the main noun in the compound.
Compare toothbrushes, mothers-in-law, passers-by and courts-martial.
Compound nouns usually receive the main stress on the first element.
Compare BLACKbird (the bird) with black BIRD (any bird that is black). Stress may change the meaning.
The meaning of a compound noun is not always predictable from its individual words.
Some compounds have idiomatic meanings that must be learned as vocabulary items.
English freely creates new compound nouns.
Modern compounds such as smartphone, livestream and password illustrate how new words enter the language.
Proper names may form part of a compound noun.
Examples include London Underground, Nobel Prize and Oxford Dictionary.
The spelling of compound nouns may change over time.
Many compounds evolve from open to hyphenated and eventually to closed forms as usage becomes established.
Not every sequence of two words forms a compound noun.
Compare blackbird (one lexical item) with black bird (an adjective followed by a noun).
Some compound nouns become fixed vocabulary items with meanings independent of their parts.
Examples include honeymoon, deadline and butterfly.
Pay attention to spelling, plural formation and word stress when using compound nouns.
Common mistakes include incorrect spacing, misplaced hyphens and forming the plural on the wrong element.