CHAPTER I

PRELIMINARY

1.1 Background

After mastering English well, we will be able to communicate with other nations

in this world. In addition, we will be able to add insight and knowledge to the progress

of our nation and country, because we will be able to read English literature, listen to

foreign radio broadcasts, and watch other science films. To understand those well, first

we need to understand the uses and functions of certain types of words or sentences in

English, including the compound noun. Therefore, the author tries to present about

compound noun in English, in addition to fulfilling college assignments, it is also hoped

that this short article can add to our insight into English.

1.2 Problem Formulation

1. The writing of this paper will only explain about what is meant by compound noun,

the types of compound noun, the using of compound noun in English.

2. The application of compound noun in English, especially for speaking, writing and

reading.

1.3 Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to give the understanding about how compound

noun is used in English and that it is important for the study of English.

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 CHAPTER II

DISCUSSIONS

2.1 Understanding Compound Noun

Compound nouns are words for people, animals, places, things, or ideas, made

up of two or more words. Most compound nouns are made with nouns that have been

modified by adjectives or other nouns. In many compound nouns, the first word describes

or modifies the second word, giving us insight into what kind of thing an item is, or

providing us with clues about the item’s purpose. The second word usually identifies the

item.

Compound nouns are sometimes one word, like toothpaste, haircut, or bedroom.

These are often referred to as closed or solid compound nouns. Sometimes compound

nouns are connected with a hyphen: dry-cleaning, daughter-in-law, and well-being are

some examples of hyphenated compound nouns.

Sometimes compound nouns appear as two separate words: full moon,

Christmas tree, and swimming pool are some examples of compound nouns that are

formed with two separate words. These are often referred to as open or spaced compound

nouns.

2.2 Forming of Compound Noun

Compound nouns, like all compound words, can be formed in three ways:

• Closed Form: These compound nouns simply push two words together to

form a single word, with no additional punctuation or spaces. Examples

include softball, redhead, makeup and keyboard.

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 • Hyphenated Form: These compound nouns connect two or more words with

one or more hyphens between them. Examples include six-pack, five-year-

old, and son-in-law.

• Open Form: These are compound nouns that function as one unique word,

but are still written as two or more separate words, with a space between each

component. Examples include post office, middle class, and attorney general.

Most compound nouns contain at least one noun. Of course, this isn't universally

true, given words like takeoff, but it's a good point for consideration. The other word or

words used to create compound nouns may be adjectives, prepositions, or verbs. The

second word is often the "main" word, with the first word modifying it or adding to its

meaning.Indirect speech is a means of expressing the content of statements, questions or

other utterances, without quoting them explicitly as is done in direct speech. For example,

‘He said "I'm coming"’ is direct speech, whereas ‘He said (that) he was coming’ is indirect

speech.

Truth be told, there are no rules governing why some compound words are

hyphenated, some are closed, and others remain open. Sort of like our friend, the irregular

verb, you simply have to study a word list or consult your dictionary.

In American English, if you're dealing with a common word, you can err on the

side of closed form. If it's not a common word, then you might want to consider using a

hyphen or open form. It's also worth noting that compound nouns that have become

commonplace sometimes lose the space or hyphen over time. For example, "on-line" is

now online. "Take-out" is now takeout.

While American English errs on the side of closed form, British/Canadian

English errs on the side of a hyphen. For example, the Shorter Oxford Dictionary uses pot-

belly while the American Heritage Dictionary uses potbelly.

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2.3 Hyphens Avoid Ambiguity

Given the inconsistencies that revolve around compound nouns, it can be hard

to know when to hyphenate. While the hyphenated form is less common than the closed

form hyphenated compound nouns do have one benefit. They help avoid ambiguity.

For example, if you choose to write laughing-gas instead of "laughing gas,"

you're making it clear that the gas is not laughing and it's functioning as a compound noun.

Also, you may be able to avoid a proverbial slap on the wrist knowing that some

words have more than one acceptable form. For example, we don't normally write "dry-

cleaning" or "ink-well." Rather, we write dry cleaning and inkwell. But you shouldn't get

red-lined for using either form.

2.4 Compound Noun Examples

The more you read and write, the more compound noun examples you’ll

encounter. The following sentences are just a few examples of compound nouns.

Compound noun examples have been italicized for easy identification.

 Compound nouns can be made with two nouns:

o Let’s just wait at this bus stop.

o I love watching fireflies on warm summer nights.

o While you’re at the store, please pick up some toothpaste, a six-pack of

ginger ale, and some egg rolls.

 Compound nouns can be made with an adjective and a noun:

o Let’s watch the full moon come up over the mountain.

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 o Please erase the blackboard for me.

 Compound nouns can be made with a verb and a noun:

o Be sure to add bleach to the washing machine.

o Let’s be sure to stay somewhere with a swimming pool.

 Compound nouns can be made with a noun and a verb:

o He always gets up before sunrise.

o I really could use an updated hairstyle.

 Compound nouns can be made with a verb and a preposition:

o Checkout is at noon.

o Please remember to schedule your dog’s annual check-up.

 Compound nouns can be made with a noun and a prepositional phrase:

o My mother-in-law is the kindest person I know.

 Compound nouns can be made with a preposition and a noun:

o Do you believe in past lives?

o This city is vibrant, so it’s hard to believe it has a thriving criminal

underworld.

 Compound nouns can be made with a noun and an adjective:

o We need a truckful of mulch for the garden.

2.5 Plural and Possessive Rules for Compound Nouns

To no surprise, there are no hard and fast rules concerning the plural form

of compound words, especially since some hyphens are omitted over time.

• In hyphenated words, usually the "s" goes at the end of the noun, as

in daughters-in-law or mayors-elect.

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 • Sometimes the "s" is at the end, as in go-betweens and higher-ups.

• In the open form, the "s" is often added to the noun, as in bills of fare,

assistant secretaries of state, notaries public and full moons.

To make a compound word possessive, you usually add apostrophe + s to

the end of the word, as in mother-in-law's car or five-year-old's birthday.

If the compound word is plural, it can get a little strange with two "s"

sounds close together, as in fathers-in-law's attire. If you can, it would be better to

reword the sentence so the plural compound word does not need to be possessive:

the attire of the fathers-in-law.

In general, we make the plural of a compound noun by adding -s to the

"base word" (the most "significant" word). Look at these examples:

plural
singular
three tennis shoes
a tennis shoe
five assistant headmasters
one assistant headmaster
some sergeants major
the sergeant major
two mothers-in-law
a mother-in-law
three assistant secretaries of state
an assistant secretary of state
our toothbrushes
my toothbrush
four women-doctors
a woman-doctor
two doctors of philosophy
a doctor of philosophy
two passersby, two passers-by
a passerby, a passer-by
Note that there is some variation with words like spoonful or truckful. The

old style was to say spoonsful or trucksful for the plural. Today it is more usual to say

spoonfuls or truckfuls. Both the old style (spoonsful) and the new style (spoonfuls)

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are normally acceptable, but you should be consistent in your choice. Here are some

examples:

new style plural

old style plural (very formal)

3 teaspoonfuls of sugar
teaspoonful 3 teaspoonsful of sugar

5 truckfuls of sand
truckful 5 trucksful of sand

2 bucketfuls of water
bucketful 2 bucketsful of water

4 cupfuls of rice
cupful 4 cupsful of rice

Some compound nouns have no obvious base word and you may need to

consult a dictionary to find the plural:

 higher-ups

 also-rans

 go-betweens

 has-beens

 good-for-nothings

 grown-ups

Note that with compound nouns made of [noun + noun] the first noun is

like an adjective and therefore does not usually take an -s. A tree that has apples has

many apples, but we say an apple tree, not apples

tree; matchbox not matchesbox; toothbrush not teethbrush.

With compound nouns made of [noun + noun] the second noun takes an -s

for plural. The first noun acts like an adjective and as you know, adjectives in English

are invariable. Look at these examples:

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 plural compound noun
long plural form becomes → [noun + noun]

100 apple trees

100 trees with apples

1,000 telephone cables

1,000 cables for telephones

20 tool boxes
20 boxes for tools

10 bus stops
10 stops for buses

4,000 car wheels

4,000 wheels for cars

2.6 Pronunciation

Compound nouns tend to have more stress on the first word. In the phrase

"pink ball", both words are equally stressed (as you know, adjectives and nouns are

always stressed). In the compound noun "golf ball", the first word is stressed more

(even though both words are nouns, and nouns are always stressed). Since "golf ball"

is a compound noun we consider it as a single noun and so it has a single main stress

- on the first word. Stress is important in compound nouns. For example, it helps us

know if somebody said "a GREEN HOUSE" (a house which is painted green) or "a

GREENhouse" (a building made of glass for growing plants inside).

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 CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

By the end of this paper, writer hope that we all will understand about the uses

of compound noun in English and apply it in our daily conversations.

Every single one of the discussions in this paper hoped to enlight the readers

about them and gave the best explanation it could give about compound noun.