COMPOUND NOUN ~ Grammar

COMPOUND NOUN

A compound noun is a noun that is made up of two or more words. Most compound nouns in English are formed by nouns modified by other nouns or adjectives.

For example:

The words tooth and paste are each nouns in their own right, but if you join them together they form a new word - toothpaste.

The word black is an adjective and board is a noun, but if you join them together they form a new word - blackboard.

In both these example the first word modifies or describes the second word, telling us what kind of object or person it is, or what its purpose is. And the second part identifies the object or person in question.

Ø Compound nouns can also be formed using the following combinations of words:

Noun	+	noun	bus stop
			fire-fly
			football
Adjective	+	noun	full moon
			blackboard
			software
verb(-ing)	+	noun	breakfast
			washing machine
			swimming pool
Noun	+	verb(-ing)	sunrise
			haircut
			train-spotting
Verb	+	preposition	check-out
Noun	+	prepositional phrase	mother-in-law
Preposition	+	noun	underworld
Noun	+	adjective	truckful

The two parts may be written in a number of ways:-

1. Sometimes the two words are joined together.

Example: tooth + paste = toothpaste | bed + room = bedroom

2. Sometimes they are joined using a hyphen. Example: check-in

3. Sometimes they appear as two separate words. Example: full moon

How to Expand the Compound Nouns

Make the last word as the first word and then expand it. Use appropriate prepositions for expanding or use appropriate verb to expand the compound noun.

Options: If the last word is singular, start with ‘a/an’. If the last word is plural, start with ‘the’.

Sl. No.	Compound Noun	Expansion
1.	Animal Behavior	The behavior of an animal
2.	Aluminum Extraction	The extraction of aluminum
3.	Boat House	Boat used as a house
4.	Cable television	Television signals transmitted through cables
5.	Calculator memory	Memory of a calculator
6.	Carbon dioxide	dioxide of carbon
7.	Concrete Structure:	Structure made of concrete

Sl. No.	Compound Noun	Expansion
8.	Control Centre	Centre from where control is exerted
9.	Copper wire	Wire made of copper
10.	Diesel Engine	An engine that runs on diesel
11.	Dish Antenna	Antenna in the shape of a dish
12.	Food source	The source of food
13.	Disk drive	Drive of a disk
14.	Friction losses	Losses caused by friction
15.	Gear Mechanism:	Mechanism for operating the gear
16.	Generator Power output	Output of power from the generator
17.	Grease gun	Gun used for injecting grease
18.	Heat treatment	Transmit with or by heat
19.	Hot water	Water that is hot in condition
20.	Inflation rate	The rate of inflation
21.	Cooling Tower	Tower for the purpose of Cooling
22.	Battery Car	A Car that runs on battery
23.	Battery Valve	Valve of a battery
24.	Coal gas	Gas obtained from coal
25.	Computer diagnosis	Diagnosis made by computer
26.	Mass Production	Production in Mass
27.	Data Input	Input of Data
28.	Flood Damage	Damage caused by flood
29.	Air supply	Supply of air
30.	Information Centre	Centre for giving information