🔺 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. 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)

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.”

Noun + noun


backpack	bathroom
motorcycle	football
bedroom	shopkeeper
railway	lunchtime

Adjective + noun


full moon	blackberry
highway	hardware
blackboard	redhead
shorthand	concrete idea

Other combinations


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

🔺 B. Compound Adjectives

is created by combining two or more words that work jointly to modify the same noun. They usually appear before the noun they modify, and they are often joined together by one or more hyphens to clarify that the words are working as a single modifying unit.

Adjective + Adjective


blue-green eyes	orange-yellow skin
top-right corner	bottom-left drawer

Adjective + Noun


wild-goose	sugar-free
part-time	ice-cold
short-hair	last-minute

Adverb + Adjective


very brave thing	exceptionally talented girl
most beautiful flower	often-unpleasant relationship

Quantifier + Noun


10-story building	three-foot sandwich
eight-pound bag	11-year-old niece

🔺 C. Compound Verbs

are often used to indicate the time of action in English. A compound verb is a combination of two or more words that function as a single complex predicate. Typically, there is a main verb and an auxiliary verb.

Noun + verb


sunbathe	water-ski
daydream

Verb + verb


play -act	sleep walk
talk back

LET'S PRACTICE! 📝

A. Direction: Create some compound words using the base words from the box and use them in sentences. You can use some nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions that are not in the box and pair them with those in the box.

eco	clean	culture
climb	cross	multi
mountain	country	tourism
waste	less	web
time	law	auto

Example: multicultural , ecotourism, eco-friendly

The annual multicultural festival showcases the vibrant music, dance, and culinary traditions of different communities, while also promoting eco-tourism by raising awareness about sustainable practices and eco-friendly environment.

Now, it's your turn.

YOUR TURN Photo