Compound Words

The English language has a special process by

which new words can be formed from already
existing ones.
Single word can be joined together to form a new
compound word whose meaning is given by the
sum of the two meanings of the matrix words.
Compound words are formed when two or more
words are put together to form a new word with a
new meaning.
They can function as different parts of speech,
which can dictate what form the compound takes
on.

 Compounds may be:compositional, meaning that the meaning of the new

word is determined by combining the meanings of the
parts
E.g.- a blueberry is a berry that is blue.
non- compositional, meaning that the meaning of the
new word cannot be determined by combining the
meanings of the parts.
E.g.- a breakup is not a relationship that was
severed into pieces in an upward direction.

Examples of Compound Words

Compound words fall within three
categories and its not unusual to
find the same word in more than one
group. Here are the three types of
compound words with an explanation
and examples of each:
Open compound words
Closed compound words
Hyphenated compound words

(a) Open compound words have a space

between the words but when they are read
together a new meaning is formed:
E.g.Ice cream Cave in Post office
Real estate Middle class Full moon
Attorney general
Ice cream is my favorite dessert.
The line at the post office snaked all
the way out the door and around the
corner.

(a) Closed compound words are formed when two unique words
are joined together. They dont have a space between them and
they are the type that generally comes to mind when we think
of compound words.
E.g. Cannot Baseball
Fireworks Grandmother
Elsewhere Upside
Together Sunflower
Downstairs
Mailbox
Flashlight
Doghouse
Bookcase
Dragonfly
()I love the fireworks on the fourth of July.
()Make sure you hold hands when you come to the
crosswalk.

(c) Hyphenated compound words are

connected by a hyphen. To avoid confusion,
modifying compounds are often
hyphenated, especially when they precede
a noun such as in the case of part-time
teacher, high-speed chase
When they come after the noun they are
open compounds: a chase that is high
speed, a teacher that is part time, etc.
Comparative and superlative adjectives are
hyphenated when they are compounded
with other modifiers: the highest-priced
computer, the lower-priced car.

E.g. My mother-in-law is coming for a visit.

The merry-go-round at the carnival
thrilled the visitors.
Some over-the-counter drugs can
have serious side effects.
If youre concerned for your wellbeing make sure you eat healthy
foods and get plenty of exercise.

The two parts may

be:

Examples:

bedroom
water tank
noun + noun
motorcycle
printer cartridge
rainfall
noun + verb haircut
train-spotting

hanger-on
noun + preposition
passer-by
washing machine
verb + noun driving license
swimming pool
lookout
verb + preposition take-off
drawback
greenhouse
adjective + noun software
redhead

dry-cleaning
adjective + verb
public speaking
preposition+ noun

Onlooker

output
overthrow
preposition + verb
upturn
input

Which 2 words go together to make a

compound word?

paint

shield

butter

man

lip

cup

wind

brush

gentle

stick

Which word could make this one

word become a compound word?
cloth
wash
skyscraper
paper
sand
toenail
road
rail
guard
life
fish
jelly
birthday
board
black
cupcake
cracker
nut
campfire
cut
hair
waterfall