What Is a Compound Noun?
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
What Is a Compound Noun?
The basics of English grammar can seem simple, especially when we are looking at sentence structures. Three basic components of a sentence include:
- Nouns, which are things
- Verbs, which are actions
- Adjectives, which are descriptive words
But the better you get, the more complexities there are. For instance, did you know that there are such things as compound nouns? In today’s post, we will explain what they are and how to spot them in sentences.
The Definition of a Compound Noun (With Examples)
A compound noun is a noun (or thing) made of more than one word operating as a single unit to identify a person, place, or thing. A compound noun might be made of different combinations, such as adjective + noun, noun + noun, and noun + verb. Let’s look at some of examples:
soccer field (noun + noun)
sunrise (noun + verb)
blackboard (adjective + noun)
full moon (adjective + noun)
Each of these represents a single noun with more than one word. Compare that with a noun phrase that includes a descriptor as opposed to components of a compound unit:
gray cat (gray describes the cat; it is not part of a full compound noun)
fresh flowers (fresh describes the flowers but is not part of a compound)
green field (green describes the field but is not part of a compound)
Another way to identify compound nouns is to look for proper names and hyphenated words. For example, the following are compound nouns:
London Tower
Lake Michigan
mother-in-law
self-image
Forms of Compound Nouns
Compound nouns can take a few different forms.
The first is an open compound, as we see above in pairings such as soccer field and full moon. The compound noun appears as two separate words.
A second form is a hyphenated compound. Both mother-in-law and self-image are examples of this type.
Lastly, you’ll see some compound nouns as closed compounds, or words that have been fused from two into one. Examples of closed compounds include sunrise and blackboard.
Once you know what you’re looking for, compound nouns should become even easier to recognize.
Pop Quiz
Let’s apply what you understand. Identify the compound nouns in the sentences below. Some sentences might have no compound nouns or more than one.
1. The barking dog kept me up all night.
2. My flight goes all the way over the Pacific Ocean.
3. Pine trees always smell wonderful.
4. It’s no use arguing with my father-in-law.
5. Let’s have our yard work done by sunset.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. The barking dog kept me up all night.
2. My flight goes all the way over the Pacific Ocean.
3. Pine trees always smell wonderful.
4. It’s no use arguing with my father-in-law.
5. Let’s have our yard work done by sunset.
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The explanation clearly shows the difference between compound nouns and noun phrases. The examples like “blackboard” vs. “gray cat” make it easy to understand.
Please offer one or more examples of compound nouns that have changed format over the years, say from hyphenated to closed, or open to closed.
Bumblebee (hyphenated to closed)
Email (hyphenated to closed)
Weekend (open to closed)
Baseball (open to closed)