Compound Nouns - The Noun

Compound Nouns:

What are Compound Nouns?

Compound nouns are nouns that are made from two or more words. They are combined to create a new meaning. Each Compound Noun acts as a single unit and can be modified by adjectives and other nouns.

In this combination, we usually find two parts where one is a noun and the other word can be a noun, an adjective, a verb or a preposition. We also find some other combinations. (List is given below)

There are three types of Compound Nouns:

Open Compound Nouns (with spaces) – air pack, ice cream, root beer, coffee table, fish tank, swimming pool, full moon, roller coaster, bus stop, sleeping bag, first aid, Christmas, tree, Christmas card, bomb squad, case study, death rate, shock wave, street smarts etc.,

Closed Compound Nouns (without spaces) – airbag, shotgun, housework, eyelid, toothpaste, schoolhouse, bedroom, rollback, restroom, classroom, breakfast, needlepoint, slingshot, deathtrap, eyewitness, fingerprint, pickpocket, wheelchair etc.

Hyphenated Compound Nouns (with hyphens) – baby-sitter, laughing-gas, father-in-law, four-door, daughter-in-law, six-pack, sister-in-law, passers-by, jack-in-the-box, state-of-the-art, shout-out, mind-set, seven-year-old, backpedaling, by-product, do-gooder, no-brainer, plea-a bargain, self-defense, stretcher-bearer, president-elect, ex-partner, great-grandmother, a two-year-old, self-esteem, step-granddaughter, step-great-granddaughter etc., Click here for more Compound Nouns

How to form Compound Nouns:

As we discussed in the beginning paragraph of this topic, we find two parts in every Compound Noun.

Let us observe these two parts.

The words earth and quake are two different nouns with their own meaning, but when we combine them together they form a new word – earthquake giving us new meaning.

Similarly, the word black is an adjective and board is a noun, but when we combine them together they form a new word – blackboard with a new meaning.

What we find in both these examples is that the first word modifies or describes the second word and when combined with the second word, it tells us what kind of object or person the noun is. And the second part identifies the object or person in question.

The following is a list of Compound Nouns with their different combinations of other words.

Modifier	Head Word	Compound Noun
Noun +	Noun	armchair, air ticket, air hostess, blackboard, blue whale, cellphone, cricket ball, crime novel, door-step, ear-ring, engine driver, family business, field glasses, firefighter, fish tank, football, football, garden flowers, handbag, headteacher, ice-cream, lion -tamer, man-servant, maid-servant, money market, moneylender, moonlight, newspaper oil-lamp, picture book, police officer, postcard, postman, railroad, ring-leader, shoemaker, signpost, sunlight, taxpayer, teaspoon, timetable, toothpaste, trap-door, windmill etc.,
Adjective +	Noun	madman, stronghold, nobleman, sweetheart, blackboard, full moon, black eye, blue jeans, hot-dog, shorthand, blackbird, quicksilver, national flag, historical monument, economic data, traditional values etc.,
Verb +	Noun	pickpocket, tell-tale, stop-gap, make-shift, spendthrift, breakfast, daredevil, passport, breakwater, swimming pool, cross-road, cookbook, washing machine, jump rope, etc.
Noun +	Verb	browbeat, daybreak, toothache, bloodshed, earthquake, root cause, backbite, cloud burst, bee sting, handshake, snowdrop, air dash, tongue slip, bookmark, headline, bus stop, timeline, earmark, monthly pay, tie knot,, house arrest, telephone call, headache, moonlight, sunset, sunrise, haircut, waylay, etc.
Noun +	Verb+Ing	blood poisoning, firefighting, crime-fighting, decision making, lifesaving, name-calling, report writing, shoplifting, wife-beating, drug testing, safecracking, whistleblowing, problem-solving, troubleshooting, street–fighting cat walking, slow cycling, air blowing, cross heading, ear piercing, whitewashing, time-consuming, account checking, time-serving, heart-rending, English training, daydreaming, bread baking, heart bleeding, etc.
Verb+Ing +	Noun	laughing-stock, skipping-rope, walking stick, swimming pool, washing machine, drinking water, sleeping pill, writing desk, looking glass, stepping-stone, passing cloud, driving school, fishing net, starring hero, sitting bench, glittering jewels, visiting card, cleaning lady, spinning wheel, steering wheel, spelling book, cooking gas, waiting list, helping hand, blotting paper, drawing room, living room, blotting paper, etc.
Adverb +	Noun	downtime, overcoat, overload, overdose, overtime, afterthought, postscript, undertone, foresight, downfall, outpatient, upland, offshoot etc.
Adverb +	Verb	input, income, intake, output, offspring, upswing, outbreak, outlook, outfit, upstart, outburst, outlet, out-cast, outcome, upkeep, outset, outcry etc.,
Verb +	Adverb	tumbledown, takeout, cover-up, backup, blackout, drive-by, show-off, flareup, lineup, sign-out, flashback, lockdown, size-up, breakout, pileup, spin-out, checkout, get-together, standby, cleanup, hangout, runaway, cop-out, hideaway, runoff, washdown, shootout, walkthrough, ripoff, follow-up, wind-up, break-in, knockdown etc.,
Preposition +	Noun	underworld, underground, underline, underclass, outlaw, forethought, offspring, offshore, off-day, overcoat, afternoon, inside, inbox, in group, in service, middleman, downfall, downhill, upland, top-hat, inmate, foresight, onlooker, forehead, on line, outpatient, overfed, overweight, byline, bypath, bystander etc.
With a letter		Email, H–bomb, T-shirt, U-turn, X chromosome, X-rated, Y-axis, X-ray etc.,
Family Titles and Certain other Phrases		sister-in-law, father-in-law, step-great-granddaughter, a free-for-all, a good–for–nothing, a know-it-all, make-believe, hide-and-seek, a pick-me-up, a stick-in-the-mud, a johnny-come-lately, man-of-war, brothers-in-arms, etc.,
Rhyming Reduplicatives		pooper-scooper, razzle-dazzle, walkie-talkie, boo-boo, goody-goody, hanky-panky, hocus-pocus, nitty-gritty, no-no etc.,

How to form plurals of Compound Nouns:

Generally, plural forms of a compound noun are formed by adding –’s’ or –’es’ to the base or important word. The following list illustrates the singular and plural forms of the Compound Nouns.

Compound Nouns in Singular	Compound Nouns in Plural
*By adding -’s’ to the base or important word*
Governor-general	Governors-general
Doctor Of Philosophy	Doctors Of Philosophy
Commander-in-chief	Commanders-in-chief
Brother-in-law	Brothers-in-law
Father-in-law	Fathers-in-law
Mother-in-law	Mothers-in-law
Sister-in-law	Sisters-in-law
Son-in-law	Sons-in-law
Passer-by	Passers-by
Looker-on	Lookers -on
Sergeant Major	Sergeants Major
Heir Apparent	Heirs Apparent
*By removing -’y’ and adding -’ies’ to the base or important word*
Attorney-general	Attorneys-general
Assistant Secretary Of State	Assistant Secretaries Of State
Notary Public	Notaries Public
Lady-in-waiting	ladies-in-waiting
lily-of-the-valley	lilies-of-the-valley
*By adding -’s’ or -’es’ to the word ending*
Step-parent	Step-parents
Step-daughter	Step-daughters
Step-mother	Step-mothers
Maid-servant	Maid-servants
General Staff	General Staff(s)
Court-Martial	Court-Martials / Courts-Martial
Vice-Principal	Vice-Principals
Book-case	Book-cases
Go-between	Go-betweens
Has-been	Has-beens
Good-for-nothing	Good-for-nothings
Forget-me-not	Forget-me-nots
Higher-up	Higher-ups
Grown-up	Grown-ups
Mix-up	Mix-ups
Takeoff	Takeoffs
Armful	Armfuls
Handful	Handfuls
Cupful	Cupfuls
Mouthful	Mouthfuls
Tablespoonful	Tablespoonfuls
Blackboard	Blackboards
Bystander	Bystanders
Toothbrush	Toothbrushes
*By changing both the words*
Man-servant	Men-servants
Man-driver	Men-drivers
Woman-writer	Women-writers
Woman-teacher	Women-teachers
Woman-doctor	Woman-doctors (Women-doctors)
*By changing words ‘man and woman’ into ‘men and women’*
Fisherman	Fishermen
Workman	Workmen
Boatman	Boatmen
Man-of-war	Men-of-war
Saleswoman	Saleswomen
Workingwoman	Workingwomen
*By adding -’s’ to the word ‘man’, when it refers to any ethnic group, race or civilian*
Mussalman	Mussalmans
German	Germans
Norman	Normans
Brahman	Brahmans
*Other phrases*
Many Stops For Buses	Many Bus Stops
150 Trees With Oranges	150 Orange Trees

How to form possessives of Compound Nouns:

Generally, the possessive form of the Compound Noun is formed by adding -’s’ to the ending word, regardless of whether it is singular or plural. The following list illustrates the Possessive Form in singular and plural of the Compound Nouns.

Possessive form in Singular	Possessive form in Plural
Vice-principal’s duty	Vice-principals’ duty
Son-in-law’s marriage	Sons-in-law’s marriage
Sergeant Major’s jeep	Sergeants Major’s jeep
Attorney-general’s villa	Attorneys-general’ s villa
Governor-general’s speech	Governors-general’s speech
Sister-in-law’s car	Sisters-in-law’s cars
Colonel-in-chief’s arrival	Colonels-in-chief’s arrival
Maid of honour’s address	Maids of honour’s address