Compound Nouns

For Intermediate learners

Compound nouns are formed when two or more words are joined together to create a new word that has an entirely new meaning.

What Are Compound Nouns?

When two or more words are put together and used as a noun in a sentence a 'compound noun' is formed.

Using Compound Nouns

'Compound nouns' are used to make new words with new meanings:

Let's watch football.

Foot (noun) + ball (noun) = football (compound noun)

She is his girlfriend.

Girl (noun) + friend (noun) = girlfriend (compound noun)

How to Make Compound Nouns

There are different ways to make compound nouns. Here are the most common structures:

noun + noun
adjective + noun
noun + verb

Right: a compound noun; Left: a noun phrase

You can see a few examples below:

Air + port → airport

Noun + noun → compound noun

High + school → high school

Adjective + noun → compound nouns

Rain + fall → rainfall

Noun + verb → compound noun

Warning

Regardless of whether a verb, an adjective, or a noun is added to the noun, a compound noun is always considered a noun, rather than a verb or an adjective.

Countable or Uncountable

Compound nouns can be categorized into two groups based on whether they can be counted or not:

Countable compound nouns
Uncountable compound nouns

I found two car parks.

Here the compound noun 'car park' is countable.

I hate fast food.

Here the compound noun 'fast food' is uncountable.

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What Are Compound Nouns?
Using Compound Nouns
How to Make Compound Nouns
Countable or Uncountable

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