Compound Nouns

What Are Compound Nouns? (with Examples)

A compound noun is one comprising at least two words. (Sometimes, they are hyphenated.)

Examples of Compound Nouns

Here are some examples of compound nouns:

Mother-in-law

Board of Members

Court-martial

Forget-me-not

Manservant

Cooking-oil

Hyphens in Compound Nouns

There are three forms for compound nouns:

With Spaces: swimming pool, grey matter, fish tank
Without Spaces: shotgun, housework, eyelid
With Hyphens: baby-sitter, laughing-gas, daughter-in-law

There are no definitive rules on which form to use. You have to use your spellchecker or a dictionary. Be aware that many of the words exist in several forms.

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Composition of Compound Nouns

Most compound nouns are made up of two nouns or an adjective and a noun. For example:

Noun + Noun: Bath tub, witchcraft, seaman, wall-paper
Adjective + Noun: Hardware, highway, full moon, whiteboard

However, there are other combinations:

Part of Speech	+	Part of Speech	=	Compound Noun
Sauce (noun)	+	Pan (noun)	=	Saucepan
Soft (adjective)	+	Ware (noun)	=	Software
Break (verb) Washing (verbal)	+	Fast (noun) Machine (noun)	=	Breakfast Washing machine
Sun (noun)	+	Rise (verb)	=	Sunrise
In (preposition)	+	Flux (noun)	=	Influx
Out (preposition)	+	Put (Verb)	=	Output
Check (verb)	+	Out (preposition)	=	Checkout

A Quick Test

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What Are Compound Nouns? (with Examples)

Examples of Compound Nouns

Hyphens in Compound Nouns

Composition of Compound Nouns

A Quick Test

See Also