11th Meeting: Compound Nouns

A compound noun is a noun that is made with two or more words. Words can be combined to
form compound nouns. These are very common, and new combinations are invented almost
daily. They normally have two parts. The first part tells us what kind of object or person it is,
or what its purpose is. The second part identifies the object or person in question. Compound
nouns often have a meaning that is different, or more specific, than the two separate words.

First part: type or purpose Second part: what or who Compound noun

police man policeman

boy friend boyfriend

water tank water tank

dining table dining-table

You have noticed that the compound noun can be written either as a single word, as a word
with a hyphen, or as two words. There are no clear rules about this. A good rule of thumb is
to write the most common compound nouns as one word, and the others as two words.

The elements in a compound noun are very diverse parts of speech.

Compound elements Examples

bedroom
water tank
noun + noun
motorcycle
printer cartridge

rainfall
noun + verb haircut
train-spotting

hanger-on
noun + adverb
passer-by

washing machine
verb + noun driving licence
swimming pool

lookout
verb + adverb take-off
drawback

onlooker
adverb + noun
bystander
Compound elements Examples

dry-cleaning
adjective + verb
public speaking

greenhouse
adjective + noun software
redhead

output
overthrow
adverb + verb
upturn
input

Exercise!

Words used in Government

Find the meaning of each compound noun on Oxford or Cambridge online dictionary. Submit
your work as the sign of your activity on this meeting. Number 1-3 have been done as the
examples.
No. Words Meaning
1. Party Politics Politics that relate to political parties rather than to the good of the
general public.
2. Policymaker A member of government department, legislature, or other
organization who is responsible for making new rules, laws, etc.
3. Bedrock The main principles on which something is based.
4. World Bank
5. Bottleneck
6. Choke Point
7. Ceasefire
8. Standpoint
9. Viewpoint
10. Whistle-
Blower
11. Local
Government
12. Public Policy
13. Hard Core
14. Red Tape
15. Hotbed
16. Withstand
17. Override
18. Forthright