Collins Cobuild English Grammar (16 page)

Most compound nouns consist of two words, but some consist of three or more words.

…a vase of
lily of the valley
.

two words, one word or a hyphen?

1.84
    Some compound nouns are written with hyphens instead of spaces between the words.

I’m looking forward to a
lie-in
tomorrow.
He’s very good at
problem-solving
.
Judy’s
brother-in-law
lived with his family.

Some compound nouns, especially very frequent ones, are written as one word.

…patterned
wallpaper
.
They copied questions from the
blackboard
.

In some cases, you can choose whether to write a compound noun with or without a hyphen, or with or without a space. For example, both
air-conditioner
and
air conditioner
are possible, and both
postbox
and
post box
are possible.

A few compound nouns that consist of more than two words are written partly with hyphens and partly with spaces, for example
back-seat driver
and
bring-and-buy sale
.

…children from
one-parent families
.
…a
Parent-Teacher Association
.

lists of compound nouns

1.85
    Compound nouns may be countable, uncountable, singular, or plural.

Here is a list of some common countable compound nouns:

address book

air conditioner

air raid

alarm clock

assembly line

baby-sitter

back-seat driver

bank account

bird of prey

book token

blood donor

bride-to-be

bring-and-buy sale

brother-in-law

burglar alarm

bus stop

can opener

car park

compact disc

contact lens

credit card

dining room

drawing pin

driving licence

estate agent

fairytale

father-in-law

film star

fire engine

fork-lift truck

frying pan

guided missile

health centre

heart attack

high school

human being

letter box

lily of the valley

mother-in-law

musical instrument

nervous breakdown

news bulletin

old hand

one-parent family

package holiday

Parent-Teacher Association

parking meter

pen-friend

personal computer

polar bear

police station

post office

rolling pin

sister-in-law

sleeping bag

swimming pool

T-shirt

tea bag

telephone number

traveller’s cheque

washing machine

X-ray

youth hostel

zebra crossing

1.86
    Here is a list of some common uncountable compound nouns:

air conditioning

air-traffic control

barbed wire

birth control

blood pressure

bubble bath

capital punishment

central heating

chewing gum

common sense

cotton wool

data processing

do-it-yourself

dry-cleaning

family planning

fancy dress

fast food

first aid

food poisoning

further education

general knowledge

hay fever

heart failure

higher education

hire purchase

income tax

junk food

law and order

lost property

mail order

mineral water

nail varnish

natural history

old age

pocket money

remote control

science fiction

show business

show jumping

sign language

social security

social work

soda water

stainless steel

table tennis

talcum powder

toilet paper

tracing paper

unemployment benefit

value added tax

washing powder

washing-up liquid

water-skiing

writing paper

1.87
    Here is a list of some common singular compound nouns:

age of consent

arms race

brain drain

continental divide

cost of living

death penalty

diplomatic corps

dress circle

fire brigade

general public

generation gap

greenhouse effect

hard core

human race

labour force

labour market

long jump

mother tongue

open air

private sector

public sector

rank and file

solar system

sound barrier

space age

welfare state

women’s movement

1.88
    Here is a list of some common plural compound nouns:

armed forces

baked beans

civil rights

current affairs

French fries

grass roots

high heels

human rights

industrial relations

inverted commas

licensing laws

luxury goods

modern languages

natural resources

race relations

road works

social services

social studies

swimming trunks

vocal cords

winter sports

yellow pages

composition of compound nouns

1.89
    Most compound nouns consist of two nouns, or an adjective and a noun.

I listened with anticipation to the radio
news bulletin
.
…a big
dining room
.
Old age
is a time for reflection and slowing down.

However, some compound nouns are related to
phrasal verbs
. These are sometimes written with a hyphen, and sometimes as one word. They are rarely written as separate words.

The President was directly involved in the Watergate
cover-up
.
I think there’s been a
mix-up
.
…a
breakdown
of diplomatic relations.
The singer is making a
comeback
.