The Farlex Grammar Book > English Grammar > Parts of Speech > Nouns > Compound Nouns

Compound Nouns
What is a compound noun?
A compound noun is a noun consisting of two or more words working together as a single unit to name a person, place, or thing.
Compound nouns are usually made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun, but other combinations are also possible, as well.

Generally, the first word in the compound noun tells us what kind of person or thing it is or what purpose he, she, or it serves, while the
second word defines the person or object, telling us who or what it is. For example:
water + bottle = water bottle (a bottle used for water)
dining + room = dining room (a room used for dining)
back + pack = backpack (a pack you wear on your back)
police + man = policeman (a police officer who is a man)

Like other nouns, compound nouns can be modified by other adjectives. For example:
“I need to buy a large water bottle.”
“That’s a beautiful dining room.”
“My old backpack is still my favorite.”
“A lone policeman foiled the attempted robbery.”

You can recognize compound nouns because the meaning of the two words put together is different than the meaning of the words
separately. For example, water and bottle have their own separate meanings, but when we use them together they mean a particular type
of bottle that we drink water from.

Forming compound nouns

As mentioned, compound nouns are formed by combining two or more words, with the most common combinations being noun + noun or
adjective + noun. However, combinations using other parts of speech are also possible. Below are the various combinations used to create
compound nouns.

Noun + noun
There are a great number of compound nouns formed using the noun + noun combination. For example:
backpack
bathroom
bathtub
bedroom
bus stop
fish tank
football
handbag
motorcycle
shopkeeper
tablecloth
toothpaste
wallpaper
water bottle
website
wristwatch

Adjective + noun
There are also many compound nouns that are formed using the adjective + noun combination. For example:
full moon
blackberry
blackbird
blackboard
cell(ular) phone
mobile phone
hardware
highway
greenhouse
redhead
six-pack
small talk
software
whiteboard
Other combinations
Although the noun + noun and adjective + noun combinations are the most common, there are also plenty of other possibilities for forming
compound nouns. For example:

Combination Examples

noun + verb haircut, rainfall, sunrise, sunset

noun + preposition
noun + prepositional phrase
noun + adjective
verb + noun
preposition + noun
verb + preposition
adjective + verb
preposition + verb
hanger-on, passerby
brother-in-law, mother-in-law
cupful, spoonful
breakfast, washing machine, runway, pickpocket, swimming pool
bystander, influx, onlooker, underpants, upstairs
check-in, checkout/check-out, drawback, lookout, makeup
dry cleaning, public speaking
input, output, overthrow, upturn

Writing compound nouns

Compound nouns are very common, both in written and spoken English, and there are spelling, punctuation, and pronunciation norms that
we must be aware of if we want to use them correctly.

The three written forms of compound nouns

Writing compound nouns is a bit complicated due to the fact that they can take three different forms.

First, open compound nouns (or spaced compound nouns) are those that are written as two separate words, such as washing machine,
swimming pool, and water bottle.

Second, there are hyphenated compound nouns, as in check-in, hanger-on, and mother-in-law.

Third, there are closed compound nouns (or solid compound nouns)—those that are written as one word, such as rainfall, drawback,
and toothpaste.

Unfortunately, there aren’t any rules that tell us which of the three forms is acceptable for a particular compound noun. Some compound
nouns are commonly written in two forms, as in website / web site or checkout / check-out, while others, such as bus stop, are strictly used in
one form. Where more than one is possible, the form that is more commonly used may depend on the variety of English (American English
vs. British English, for example), the style guide of a publication, or the personal preference of the writer.

If you’re not sure which of the three forms to use, it’s important to check a good, up-to-date dictionary. If you are relying on the spellchecker
in a word processor, remember that this has its limits. For example, spellcheck is good for checking whether a particular compound noun
can be written as one word (closed); however, if we write a compound noun as two words (open) and it should be written as one word
(closed), or if we write it with a hyphen and it should be written without a hyphen, spellcheck will not catch the mistakes.

Finally, remember that, no matter which way the compound noun is written, it always functions grammatically as a single unit.

Pluralizing compound nouns

We usually pluralize a compound noun by adding an “-s” or “-es” to the main word, or the defining word, of the compound noun. This is
usually the second word, but not always. For example:

Singular Plural

bedroom bedrooms
football footballs
water bottle water bottles
full moon full moons

BUT

Singular Plural

secretary general secretaries general

mother-in-law mothers-in-law
passerby / passer-by passersby / passers-by

When it’s not obvious which of the words is the defining word, we pluralize the end of it. For example:

Singular Plural

haircut haircuts
check-in check-in
checkout / check-out checkouts / check-outs
upturn upturns

Pronouncing compound nouns

In general, compound nouns are pronounced with the emphasis on the first part of the word. For example:
BEDroom
BLACKbird
CHECK-in
GREENhouse
MAKEup
WATER bottle

Pronouncing compound nouns in this way helps us distinguish words that form a compound noun like blackbird and greenhouse from other
instances when the same words would appear together, as in: “Look at that beautiful black bird,” or “I like that green house on the corner.”

Although we normally stress the first word in a compound noun, there are certain exceptions to this pattern. For example, we disregard this
rule when pronouncing compound nouns that include titles or proper nouns, as in Secretary GENeral and Mount RUSHmore.

If in doubt, you can use a good dictionary to determine which syllable should be emphasized.