Compound nouns - combinations of two nouns
A.A compound noun is a fixed expression which is made up of more than one word and functions as a noun. Such expressions are frequently combinations of two nouns, e.g. address book, human being,science fiction.
B. Compound nouns may be written as two words, e.g. tin opener, bank account,or they may be written with a hyphen instead of a space between the words, e.g. pen-name, baby-sitter.Some expressions are occasionally written with a hyphen and occasionally as two separate words. For instance, both letter boxand letter-boxare correct. Sometimes they may be written as one word, e.g. earring.
C. Compound nouns may be countable, uncountable or only used in either the singular or the plural. There are examples of each of these types below. Check that you understand the meanings of each of the expressions listed. If you understand both elements of the expression, the meaning will usually be clear.
D. Usually the main stress is on the first part of the compound but sometimes it is on the second part.
Here is a list of some common countable compound nouns:
| address book air conditioner air raid alarm clock assembly line baby-sitter back-seat driver bank account bird of prey book token blood donor bride-to-be bring-and-buy sale brother-in-law burglar alarm bus stop can opener car park come-on compact disc comrade in arms contact lens cover-up | credit card dining room drawing pin driving license estate agent fairy tale film star fire engine fork-lift truck frying pan guided missile health centre heart attack high school human being letter-box lily of the valley looker-on musical instrument nervous breakdown news bulletin old hand one-parent family |
| package holiday Parent-Teacher Association parking meter passer-by pen-friend personal computer polar bear police station post office runner-up sleeping bag summing-up | swimming pool T-shirt tea bag telephone number traveller's cheque tea-table washing machine X-ray youth hostel zebra crossing |
Here are some examples of common uncountable compound nouns.
These are never used with an article.
| air conditioning air-traffic control barbed wire birth control blood pressure bubble bath capital punishment central heating chewing gum common sense cotton wool data processing do-it-yourself dry-cleaning family planning fancy dress fast-food f first aid food poisoning | further education general knowledge hay fever heart failure higher education hire purchase income tax junk food law and order lost property mail order make-up mineral water nail varnish natural history old age pocket money remote control science fiction | show business show jumping sign language social security social work soda water stainless steel table tennis talcum powder toilet paper turn-over tracing paper unemployment benefit value added tax washing powder washing-up liquid water-skiing writing paper |
Here is a list of some common singular compound nouns:
| age of consent arms race brain drain colour bar cost of living death penalty diplomatic corps dress circle drying-up fire brigade | general public generation gap greenhouse effect human race labour force labour market long jump mother-tongue open air private sector | public sector rank and file solar system sound barrier space age welfare state women's movement |
Here is a list of some common plural compound nouns:
| armed forces baked beans civil rights current affairs French fries grass roots high heels human rights | industrial relations inverted commas licensing laws luxury goods modern languages natural resources race relations road works | social services social studies swimming trunks vocal cords winter sports yellow pages |
Compound nouns - verb + preposition
A.A large number of compound nouns are based on phrasal verbs. In Sections В toE you will see a number of examples of such nouns in context. The meaning of the compound noun is indicated in brackets at the end of the sentence. To form the plural, V is added to the end, e.g. pin-ups.
B.Nouns based on phrasal verbs often have an informal feel to them and they are particularly common in newspaper reporting. Here are examples of such nouns in use.
In response to the pay offer, there was a walk-outat the factory, [strike]
There is going to be a crack-downon public spending, [action against]
There has been a break-outfrom the local prison, [escape]
Last month saw a tremendous shake-upin personnel, [change]
I never expected the break-upof the USSR, [collapse]
C. A number of these nouns have economic associations.
The takeoverof one of our leading hotel chains has just been announced, [purchase by another company]
We're trying to find some new outlets for our products, [places to sell]
Take your things to the check-out to pay for them, [cash-desk]
Cutbackswill be essential until the recession is over, [reductions]
We made a profit of £1000 on a turnover of £10,000. [money passing through a company]
D. Some of these nouns are associated with technology and other aspects of contemporary life.
What the computer produces depends on the quality of the input,[information that is put in]
Outputhas increased thanks to new technology, [production]
We have a rather rapid staff turnover,[change]
Just after leaving school he went through the stage of being a dropout,[person who rejects society]
It will be a long time before the consequences of falloutfrom Chernobyl are no longer felt, [radio-active dust in the atmosphere]
I can easily get you a printoutof the latest figures, [paper on which computer
information has been printed]
A breakthroughhas been made in AIDS research, [important discovery]
E. Some of the words can be used in more general circumstances.
Many of the problems were caused by a breakdownin communications, [failure]
The outlookfor tomorrow is good - sunny in most places, [prospect]
There are drawbacksas well as advantages to every situation, [negative aspects]
The outcomeof the situation was not very satisfactory, [conclusion]
TV companies always welcome feedbackfrom viewers, [comments]
It was clear from the outsetthat the set-upwould cause problems, [start; situation]
We parked in a lay-byon the by-pass,[parking space at the side of a road; road
avoiding the centre of a town]
The outbreakof war surprised them, [start of something unpleasant, e.g. disease, violence]
Plural of Compound Nouns.
a) In compound nouns usually the head-noun takes the plural form: fellow-worker – fellow-workers; school-mate – school-mates; air-raid – air-raids; editor-in-chief – editors-in-chief; brother-in-law – brothers-in-law.
b) Compounds ending in -man change -man into -men in spelling, but in pronunciation there is no difference between the singular and the plural: postman ['poustmen] – postmen [poustmen].
Such nouns as German, Roman, Norman are not compounds. They form their plural in the usual way: Germans, Romans, Normans.
c) When the compound does not contain any noun, the plural is formed by adding -s to the last word: forget-me-not – forget-me-nots; merry-go-round (карусель) – merry-go-rounds; hold-all – hold-alls (портплед); overall – overalls.
d) Compounds in -ful add -s to the end: handful – handfuls; spoonful – spoonfuls; but also: columns-full (in newspapers).
e) If a proper noun is preceded by a title, the sign of the plural is added either to the title or to the proper noun itself; in colloquial speech it is usual to add the -s to the proper noun; in official speech the title is pluralized.
Colloquial: The two doctor Thomsons. The Miss Smiths.
Official: MessrsJones. The Misses Smith.
The Miss Crumptons or to quote the authorities of the inscription on the garden-gate: The Misses Crumpton. (Dickens.)
f) In first words of compounds the singular is as a rule used even if the meaning is plural: the Five-Year Plan, a four-storeyhouse, a five-act play, letter-writing, the printed-book section of the museum.
It was a three-mile walk, along a dry white road, made whiter to-night by the light of the moon. (Hardy).
There is, however, a growing tendency in recent times to use the plural form, especially in long official terms: a two-thirds majority; the food products department; the sports grounds; the United NationsOrganization; parcels post.
He takes an active part in the activities of our sports section.
In many instances where the form in -s is used it may be understood either as the plural form of the common case or as the plural possessive. Accordingly, the use of the apostrophe wavers:
a) no apostrophe:
I enjoyed several hours sleep. There is twenty years difference in their age. I had only two shillings pocket money. A bridge of only two planks breadth.
b) an apostrophe:
A five years'child. The Seven Years'War. A two months'baby.