UNIT I : COMPOUND WORDS
General Instructional Objective: the students understand the way to form and the meanings of compound
words.
Specific Instructional Objectives:
The students are able to
a. explain what is compound word
b. identify the parts of compound words
c. form compound words
d. write the plural forms of compound words
e. give the meanings of compound words
f. use compound words in sentences
The way of forming a new word, besides by means of derivational and inflectional affixes, is by the
technique of word formation which is commonly called compounding. Compound words are words
formed by combining two or more words into one unit. Study the words below:
compound words
part 1
part 2
meanings
campfire
greenhouse
pigtail
earning
grasshopper
camp
green
pig
ear
grass
fire
house
tail
ring
hopper
api unggun
rumah kaca
rambut kucir
anting-anting
belalang
Each of words above consists of two parts. These two parts make up one meaningful unit. The two parts
can be as follows:
1. noun
+
noun
: classroom
2. adjective
+
noun
: greenhouse
3. preposition
+
preposition
: upon, into, without
4. verb
+
preposition
: takeover, lookout
5. noun
+
verb
: sunbathe, earthquake
Compound words are sometimes written as one word (basketball, ashtray, cowboy), as separate
words (filing cabinet, walking stick, hot dog), and sometimes hyphenated (cigarette-case, egg-cup,
clothes-basket). Unfortunately, there is no rule for this. So you may need to check in a dictionary.
Compound words which are written as one word, ordinarily take the /-s/ or /-es/ ending in the plural. For
example: landlady-landladies, sunflower-sunflowers. While in the hyphenated compound word, /-s/, or /es/ is given to the main word. For example: brother-in-law (brothers-in-law), passer-by (passers-by),
commander-in-chief (commanders-in-chief). Compound words can be as compound nouns or compound
adjectives.
1. Compound nouns
A compound noun is formed from two nouns, or an adjective and a noun. Here are some common
examples:
alarm clock
credit card
table tennis
T-shirt
earring
sunglasses
traffic lights
tin opener
first aid
pedestrian crossing
dining room (room where you eat meal)
film star (e.g. Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster)
brother-in-law (your sister's husband)
income tax (the tax you pay on your salary)
writing paper (paper for writing letters)
washing machine (the machine for washing clothes)
baby-sitter (he/she looks after children when parents are out)
mother tongue (your first language)
science fiction (stories about the future)
box office (where you buy tickets in cinemas or theatres)
Quite often, one part of compound forms the basis for a number of compound nouns:
post/ticket/box office
traffic lights/warden/jam
brother/sister/father/mother-in-law
film/pop/rock star
dining/sitting/waiting room
Note: A traffic jam is a long line cars which are moving slowly because the road is busy; and traffic
wardens patrol the streets to make sure you are not packed in the wrong place illegally. You buy the
theatre thickets at the box office and train tickets at the ticket office.
2. Compound adjectives
A compound adjective is formed from two different words, and occasionally three. They are usually
written with a hyphen (e.g. good-looking, well-known). Many compound adjectives describe a
person's appearance, character, and situation.
Example:
This is William. He isn't well-known (famous), he isn't well-off (rich), and I've never heard anyone say he
was good-looking (handsome/attractive). But he's a very nice man - kind, friendly, and very easy-going
(relaxed). He likes wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a brand-new (completely new) hat.
Adverbs "well" and "badly" are combined with many past participles to form compound adjectives. You
can use "well" or "badly" in front of the adjective.
Examples:
a well-directed film
a well-made pair of shoes
a well-written story
a badly-paid job (a low salary)
a badly-behaved child (acting in a bad way)
a badly-dressed young man (wearing horrible clothes)
It is common to combine a number and a singular noun to form a compound adjective.
Examples:
It's a fifteen-minute drive to the centre, (a drive of fifteen minutes)
He works in a four-star hotel, (a hotel with a rating of four stars)
I give her a five-pound note. (a note with a value of five pounds)
The winner was a ten-year-old girl. (a girl who is ten years old)
There was a two-hour delay on our flight, (the plane was two hours' late)
3. List of compound words
doghouse
horseshoe
nightstick
skylight
countryside
lifetime
breakfast
toothpaste
afternoon
bookstore
toothache
otherwise
without
necklace
anywhere
fireman
peacetime
fingertip
riverbank
aircraft
railroad
shipyard
chessboard
classmate
thanksgiving
sunglasses
grandson
daughter-in-law
father-in-law
pre-war
lighthouse
windproof
salesman
cat-sleep
money lender
laundry man
midnight
son-in-law
nightmare
downpour
graveyard
waterproof
sunstroke
green eyed
street-walker
pickpocket
teenager
baseball
flagpole
northwest
notebook
broadcast
airport
toothpick
raincoat
barefoot
forefather
kidnap
somebody
drugstore
mother-in-law
foreman
outcast
full-time
doormat
hotdog
second-hand
wardrobe
landlady
lady-killer
facecloth
eyeball
bus-stop
handcuff
lifejacket
bathtub
armchair
stowaway
part-time
grandchild
landlord
skydive
northwest
policeman
battledress
editor-in-chief
right-handed
playboy
machinegun
lunchbox
typewriter
left-handed
knapsack
EXERCISES:
A. What is compound word?
B. Mention the part of the following compound words.
Example:
catwalk - cat and walk
1. aircraft
2 .birthday
3. lunchbox
4. horseshoe
5. riverbank
6. necklace
7. barefoot
8. skydive
9. classmate
10. without
C. Take one word (the first part or the second part) from each compound -word and create a new
compound word. Use your dictionary to help you if necessary.
Example: table tennis - table leg
1.dining room
2.film star
3.toothpaste
4.post office
5. traffic lights
6. credit card
7. sunglasses
8. hairdryer
D. Write the plural forms of the following compound words.
1. landlady
2. laundry man
3. lady-killer
4. stowaway
5. snake bean
6. editor-in-chief
7. street-walker
8. eyeball
9. by-pass
10. stop-watch
11. grandchild
12. playboy
13. state man
14. bus-stop
15. checkroom
16. aircraft carrier
17. ladybug
18. lunchbox
19. shoemaker
20. greengrocer
E. Read the text carefully, then substitute the phrases in brackets -with compound words.
One (time between morning and afternoon), my (mother's father) fell asleep in his (chair with supports
for the arms). Later he told me he dreamed that he was in (a soldier's uniform for battle). He had (a
canvas bag for carrying clothes and food) on his back and (a gun that fires continuously when the trigger
is pressed) in his hands. A man with (cuffs around his wrist) was standing in front of him.
F. Find one of the compound words from the list below that suits the blank space of each
statement.
wardrobe
lifetime
newspaper
birthday
anytime
downpour
toothache
pickpocket
black eye
lady-killer
moonlight
basketball
eyesight
sunlight
everyone
eardrums
nightmare
waterproof
skylight
campfire
1. John's keen ............protected him from falling.
2. In the cemetery, the corpse was clearly seen in the bright................
3. A sunny day is full of............... and warm breezes.
4. ...................agrees that friendship is important for all of us.
5. The .................player was exhibiting his skill.
6. I got a very nice present on my .....................
7. I don't want to do ....................... I am free today.
8. Did you read my article in the school...................
9. The boy scouts were sitting around the .................. while singing.
10. The hard rock music was so loud that I thought it would ruin my ................
11. There are about five jeans in his .........................
12. Be careful with the .................. in the city bus. A lot of people reported lost their
wallet.
13. She was screaming in her dream. After she woke up she said that she had a ...........
14. Yesterday they could not go home from school because they were caught in a .......
15. Don't be afraid to wear that shoes in that water. They won't be damaged. They are
16. This house is very dark, it needs .................to get the sunlight.
17. He had to go to the dentist. He had a terrible ........................
18....................is a man who likes to have fun with prostitute.
19. They don't want to divorce because they think that getting married is just once in their
20. He has ....................because he has just hit a lamppost.
G. Complete these sentences with suitable compound nouns.
1. I'm late because there was a terrible ..................in the center of town.
2. Christine Hakim is a famous ..................
3. My ..............didn't ring this morning and I didn't wake up until 9.30.
4. When I got to the surgery, I had to sit in the .............for forty minutes before I could see the
dentist.
5. Mary really wanted to see the film but she couldn't find a ....................for the
children, so she had to stay at home.
6. When I'm driving I always wear ....................if it's very bright and sunny.
7. You have to pay ............on your salary in Britain; the amount depends on how much
you earn.
8. In some countries, you have to have a .................box in your car for minor injuries and
illness.
9. My brother loves .............. but I prefer true stories about the present or the past.
10. They were both wearing short...............shirts.
11. We stayed in a five-............ hotel.
12. There is a shop in London which sells things for left-..........people.
13. He's just bought a brand.............car.
14. The airport is about ten miles south-............of the city center.
15. One little girl was very badly-......,.........; she kept shouting during lunch and then
threw food all over the floor.
16. She's just got a ............... -time job; she works three hours a day on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays.
17.I had a nice time with my cousin-he's a good friend and very easy.............
18. Have you ever met a well-..........actor or politician?
19.1 was astonished when the man at the next table gave the waiter a ten-...... ..note as a tip.
20. When I saw her last night, she was dancing with a very good-............ young man in a
white suit.