Preposition + noun: downtown, bystander, underworld, overtime.Adjective + noun: smartphone, bluebird, redhead, greenhouse.Verb + noun: jailbreak, haircut, runtime, turntable, sweatshirt, buzzkill.Noun + noun: lunchtime, boyfriend, milkman, firefighter, hatrack, heartache.Here are examples of compound nouns formed from pairs of different types of words: This type of compound noun is formed by combining two words (from different parts of speech) together into a single word. You will either need to memorize compound nouns as you come across them or use our fantastic dictionary to see which form (or forms) should be used. As is often the case in English, there is no single rule that states which of these methods is correct when it comes to forming specific compound nouns. In English, there are three main ways that we form compound nouns. How many nouns does it take to be a noun expert? Make sure you count countable nouns in! Learn more about countable nouns here. For example, a blackboard is an object that a teacher writes on with chalk while a “black board” is any black piece of wood. One main thing to keep in mind about compound nouns is that they have a meaning that is distinct from their component parts. You can see this in words like runoff, takedown, and shortcake. Compound nouns aren’t just formed from nouns but other types of words as well, such as verbs, adjectives, and prepositions. The word snowstorm is an example of a simple type of compound noun formed from the words snow and storm. Adjectives, verbs, prepositions, and nouns can all be described as compounds.Īs compounds, they are made of two or more existing words combined into one, such as housetop (noun), many-sided (adjective), playact (verb), or upon (preposition).Ī compound noun, in simplified terms, is a noun made up of two or more existing words. In grammar, a compound refers to a word that is made up of two or more existing parts or elements. We use many different types of nouns to refer to people we love, places we take them, and things we enjoy together, but my story uses a couple examples of one particular type of noun: the compound noun. It was a fun night, but it was also an example of an event that can be described with nouns. Last night, I took my roommate to a drive-in to see the latest blockbuster.

What is abstract noun