Grammar | Compound Nouns

 Compound Nouns 

Definition:

A Compound Noun is a Noun when it is made by two or more words. A Compound Noun is usually (Noun + Noun) or (Adjective + Noun), but there are other combinations (looking below). It's important to realize and recognize Compound Nouns. Each compound Noun acts as a single unit and can be modified by Adjective and Nouns. 

Three forms of compound Nouns: 

1. spaced or open - space between words (football shoe) 

2. hyphenated - hyphen between words (six-packs) 

3. solid or closed - no hyphen or spay between words (bathroom)

Some examples of compound nouns:

Pronunciation:

Compound Nouns head to have more stressful on the first word. In the Phrase "red ball", both words are stressed (Nouns and adjectives are always stressed). In the Compound Nouns "tennis ball", first word is more stressed (whatever both words are Nouns, and Nouns are always stressed). In a sense "tennis ball" is a compound Noun we considered it as a single Noun and so it has a single main stress - on the first word. Stress it is important when talking about compound Nouns. Examples, it helps them know if somebody said "a RED HOUSES" (a house which is painted RED) or "a REDHOUSES" (a building made glass growing strawberries inside). 

British/American differences:

Different varieties English, and even different writers, may use the open, closed form hyphenated for the same Compound Noun. It is partly a situation of style. 

There no specific rules.  By example you can find: 

• container ship

• container-ship

• containership 

If you are not be sure which forms use, please checking a good dictionary. 

Compound Nouns 's Plural form in generally made Plural of a Compound Noun by add (-S) to " the based word".

(the most "significant" word). Looking these examples:

Note:

Some variations within words as like glassful or shipful. Older styles was to say glassesful or shipsful about Plural. Nowadays it is more usually to say Glassfuls or shipfuls. They are both the older styles (glassesful) and the newest styles (glassfuls) are normally acceptable, but we must be consistently in our choice.

For some Compound Nouns own no clear base word and maybe we need to consult a Dictionary to find the Plural: 

• higher-ups

• also-rans

• go-betweens

• has-beens

• good-for-nothings

• grown-ups 

Note:

These with Compound Nouns made by ( Noun + Noun ), the first Noun as like an Adjective and moreover doesn't usually take an (-S). A tree that has oranges has many oranges, but we can say a orange tree, not oranges tree; matches boxes not matchesbox, toothbrush not teethbrush. 

Compound Nouns made of (Noun + Noun) Second Noun takes an (-S) for Plural. 

First Noun acts as an Adjective and adjectives in English are invariable.