Answer: A compound noun is a type of noun made by combining two or more words to form a single word with a new meaning. The words may be written as one word, with a hyphen, or as separate words.

Q: What are the types of compound nouns?

Answer: There are three types of compound nouns: open compound nouns, hyphenated compound nouns, and closed compound nouns.

Q: How to pluralise compound nouns?

Answer: To pluralise the closed compound nouns, add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of the word and for the open or hyphenated compound nouns, add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the main word.

Q: Give some examples of compound nouns in sentences.

Answer: Some examples of compound nouns in sentences are: She bought a new toothbrush . We met our mother-in-law yesterday. The children are playing football in the playground . Please keep your shoes near the doorstep . The post office is closed today.

Compound nouns are words formed by joining two or more words to create a single noun with a specific meaning. They are used to name people, places, things, or particular ideas. In this guide, you will learn about compound nouns, their types, formation, rules, and examples.

What Are Compound Nouns?
Types of Compound Nouns with Examples
Forming Compound Nouns
How to Pluralise Compound Nouns?
Difference Between Compound Nouns and Collective Nouns

What Are Compound Nouns?

Nouns are the naming words; they are used to describe a person, a place, an object, or an idea. Nouns are of different types, one of which is a compound noun. A compound noun is a noun formed by combining more than one part of speech.

Types of Compound Nouns with Examples

Compound nouns are of three types based on how the words are combined: spaced or open compound nouns, hyphenated compound nouns, and closed or solid compound nouns.

Spaced or Open Compound Nouns

Spaced or open compound nouns are written with a space between the two words. For example:

Bus stop
Flower shop
Ice cream
School bus
Living room

Hyphenated Compound Nouns

The hyphenated compound has a hyphen between the two words. For example:

Father-in-law
Sister-in-law
Runner-up
Well-being
Self-control

Closed or Solid Compound Nouns

Closed or solid compound nouns are written as a single word without a space or hyphen. For example,

Sunflower
Notebook
Toothpaste
Airport
Backpack

Forming Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are formed by combining two or more parts of speech. Compound nouns may be formed from different parts of speech, but they function as nouns in a sentence. There are different types of compound noun formation.

Noun + Noun

Noun	Noun	Compound Noun
Tooth	Brush	Toothbrush
School	Bag	Schoolbag
Rain	Coat	Raincoat
Foot	Ball	Football
Bed	Room	Bedroom
Book	Shelf	Bookshelf
Hair	Brush	Hairbrush
Black	Board	Blackboard
Sun	Flower	Sunflower
Fire	Fly	Firefly
Note	Book	Notebook
News	Paper	Newspaper
Fire	Fighter	Firefighter
Hand	Bag	Handbag
Tree	House	Treehouse
Moon	Light	Moonlight
Ice	Cream	Ice cream
Star	Fish	Starfish
Water	Tank	Water tank

Noun + Verb

Noun	Verb	Compound Noun
Sun	Rise	Sunrise
Hair	Cut	Haircut
Rain	Fall	Rainfall
Hand	Shake	Handshake
Day	Break	Daybreak
Earth	Quake	Earthquake
Bus	Stop	Bus stop
Sun	Set	Sunset
Snow	Fall	Snowfall
Foot	Print	Footprint
Health	Care	Healthcare
Gun	Fight	Gunfight
Heart	Beat	Heartbeat
Tooth	Ache	Toothache

Noun + Gerund

Noun	Gerund (-ing form)	Compound Noun
Horse	Riding	Horse-riding
Sight	Seeing	Sightseeing
Story	Telling	Story-telling
Hand	Writing	Handwriting
Time	Keeping	Time-keeping
Mountain	Climbing	Mountain climbing
Book	Keeping	Book-keeping
Copy	Editing	Copy-editing
Match	Making	Matchmaking
Window	Shopping	Window-shopping
Dress	Making	Dressmaking
Bird	Watching	Bird-watching

Gerund + Noun

Gerund	Noun	Compound Noun
Washing	Machine	Washing machine
Swimming	Pool	Swimming pool
Dining	Table	Dining table
Walking	Stick	Walking stick
Writing	Desk	Writing desk
Sleeping	Bag	Sleeping bag
Reading	Room	Reading room
Dressing	Table	Dressing table
Magnifying	Lens	Magnifying lens
Fishing	Net	Fishing net
Sewing	Machine	Sewing machine
Cooking	Gas	Cooking gas
Waiting	Room	Waiting room
Helping	Hand	Helping hand

Noun + Preposition + Noun/Noun + Prepositional Phrase

Noun	Preposition	Noun	Compound Noun
Mother	In	Law	Mother-in-law
Father	In	Law	Father-in-law
Brother	In	Law	Brother-in-law
Sister	In	Law	Sister-in-law
Son	In	Law	Son-in-law
Daughter	In	Law	Daughter-in-law
Lady	In	Waiting	Lady-in-waiting
Man	Of	War	Man-of-war
Man	Of - the	Match	Man-of-the-match
Commander	In	Chief	Commander-in-chief

Preposition + Verb

Preposition	Verb	Compound Noun
In	Put	Input
Out	Put	Output
Over	Throw	Overthrow
Under	Take	Undertake
Up	Take	Uptake
Out	Break	Outbreak
Over	Flow	Overflow
Under	Pass	Underpass
Up	Rise	Uprise
Down	Fall	Downfall
Out	Let	Outlet
Under	Stand	Understand
Under	Cut	Undercut
In	Take	Intake
Out	Burst	Outburst

Verb + Preposition

Verb	Preposition	Compound Noun
Take	Off	Take-off
Break	Down	Breakdown
Check	In	Check-in
Check	Out	Check-out
Check	Up	Check-up
Come	Back	Comeback
Set	Up	Setup
Get	Up	Get-up
Make	Up	Makeup
Run	Over	Run-over
Fall	Out	Fallout
Turn	Over	Turnover
Look	Out	Lookout
Shut	Down	Shutdown
Build	Up	Buildup
Start	Up	Startup

Preposition + Noun

Preposition	Noun	Compound Noun
Over	Coat	Overcoat
Under	Ground	Underground
Under	World	Underworld
In	Side	Inside
Out	Side	Outside
Over	Head	Overhead
Down	Town	Downtown
Up	Stairs	Upstairs
Down	Stairs	Downstairs
In	Doors	Indoors

Adjective + Noun

Adjective	Noun	Compound Noun
Black	Board	Blackboard
Green	House	Greenhouse
Hot	Spot	Hotspot
Full	Moon	Full moon
Blue	Print	Blueprint
Dark	Room	Darkroom
Small	Talk	Small talk
High	School	High school
Hard	Ware	Hardware
Soft	Ware	Software
Grand	Daughter	Granddaughter
Smart	Phone	Smartphone
Blue	Berry	Blueberry

Adjective + Verb

Adjective	Verb	Compound Noun
Dry	Cleaning	Dry cleaning
White	Wash	Whitewash
Quick	Freeze	Quick-freeze
Short	List	Shortlist
Broad	Cast	Broadcast
Fast	Track	Fast-track
Slow	Cook	Slow-cook
Under	Fed	Underfed
Long	Awaited	Long awaited
Public	Speaking	Public speaking
High	Light	Highlight

Repetitive Words / Rhyming Words

Word 1	Word 2	Compound Noun
Tick	Tock	Tick-tock
Chit	Chat	Chit-chat
Hocus	Pocus	Hocus-pocus
Ding	Dong	Ding-dong
See	Saw	See-saw
Hush	Hush	Hush-hush
Flip	Flop	Flip-flop
Walkie	Talkie	Walkie-talkie
Artsy	Fartsy	Artsy-fartsy
Boo	Boo	Boo-boo

Places, Nationalities, and Titles

Word 1	Word 2	Compound Noun
Mount	Everest	Mount Everest
Latin	American	Latin American
South	Korea	South Korea
Native	American	Native American
Middle	East	Middle East
Anglo	Saxon	Anglo-Saxon
Anglo	Indian	Anglo-Indian
Indian	Ocean	Indian Ocean
Prime	Minister	Prime Minister
Chief	Minister	Chief Minister
Head	Master	Headmaster
Vice	President	Vice President
Joint	Secretary	Joint Secretary
Assistant	Director	Assistant Director
Great	Grandmother	Great grandmother

How to Pluralise Compound Nouns?

The plural form of a compound noun depends on the type of compound noun.

For closed compound nouns: The plural form of closed compound nouns is formed by adding ‘s’ or ‘es’ at the end of the word. Examples:

Underline - Underlines
Classroom - Classrooms
Toothbrush - Toothbrushes
Raincoat - Raincoats

For hyphenated or open compound nouns: When the compound noun is hyphenated or written as separate words, add ‘s’ to the main word.

Examples:
Mother-in-law - Mothers-in-law
Commander-in-chief - Commanders-in-chief
Passer-by - Passers-by
Dining table - Dining tables
Bus stop - Bus stops

Difference Between Compound Nouns and Collective Nouns

In English grammar, compound nouns and collective nouns are two different types of nouns. Understanding the difference between these two types of nouns helps you use them correctly in a sentence.

Compound Nouns	Collective Nouns
Compound nouns are nouns formed by combining two or more words with a new meaning.	Collective nouns are nouns that are used to refer to a group as one unit.
Compound nouns can be open, hyphenated, or closed.	Collective nouns are one word that refers to a group of individuals.
Can be both singular and plural	Mostly singular, but can also take a plural verb in some contexts.
Examples: Schoolbag, water bottle, washing machine, and post office.	Examples: Team, flock, herd, army, jury, and crowd.

Frequently Asked Questions on Compound Nouns

1. What is a compound noun?

Answer: A compound noun is a type of noun made by combining two or more words to form a single word with a new meaning. The words may be written as one word, with a hyphen, or as separate words.

2. What are the types of compound nouns?

Answer: There are three types of compound nouns: open compound nouns, hyphenated compound nouns, and closed compound nouns.

3. How to pluralise compound nouns?

Answer: To pluralise the closed compound nouns, add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the end of the word and for the open or hyphenated compound nouns, add ‘s’ or ‘es’ to the main word.

4. Give some examples of compound nouns in sentences.

Answer: Some examples of compound nouns in sentences are: She bought a new toothbrush. We met our mother-in-law yesterday. The children are playing football in the playground. Please keep your shoes near the doorstep. The post office is closed today.

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Compound Nouns

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