A compound noun is formed when two or more words are joined together to create a single noun that represents a person, place, thing, or idea. Though made up of more than one word, a compound noun functions as one unit in a sentence.
Compound nouns help us describe things more precisely by combining related words.
Forms of Compound Nouns
Compound nouns can appear in three different forms:
- Closed
form (written as one word)
- Examples:
toothpaste, football, sunflower
- ✅
“She bought a tube of toothpaste.”
- Open
form (written as two separate words)
- Examples:
ice cream, swimming pool, bus stop
- ✅
“We went to the swimming pool after school.”
- Hyphenated
form (written with hyphens between the words)
- Examples:
sister-in-law, mother-in-law, check-in
- ✅ “Her sister-in-law is very kind.”
More Examples of Compound Nouns
|
Closed |
Open |
Hyphenated |
|
notebook |
post office |
brother-in-law |
|
toothbrush |
high school |
editor-in-chief |
|
bedroom |
science fiction |
runner-up |
How to Recognize a Compound Noun
If the combination of words answers “What is it?” and
acts like a single noun, it’s likely a compound noun.
- "Ice
cream" = What is it? A sweet frozen dessert
- "Football"
= What is it? A sport
- "Mother-in-law"
= Who is it? A person (specific relationship)
In Sentences:
• “He dropped his notebook on the floor.”
➡️
Notebook is a closed compound noun.
• “We waited at the bus stop for the school bus.”
➡️
Bus stop is an open compound noun.
• “She became the editor-in-chief of the magazine.”
➡️
Editor-in-chief is a hyphenated compound noun.
