Compound Words in English: Vocabulary Building

Manik Joshi

Oct 2014 · English Word Power Book 10 · Manik Joshi

About this ebook

What are “Compound Words”?

 

A compound word consists of two or more base words. The meaning of Compound words is often different from the separate base words.

 

Compound Words and Parts of Speech

Compound words are mostly nouns, adjectives, and verbs.

 

Kinds of Compound Words

Compound words are of three types:

 

(A). Closed Compound Words:

Words are joined together. There is no space or hyphen between the words.

Examples: firefly / softball / redhead / keyboard / makeup / notebook

 

(B). Hyphenated Compound Words:

Words are joined together by a hyphen.

Examples: daughter-in-law / half-sister / over-the-counter / six-year-old

 

(C). Open Compound Words:

Words are not joined together. Words are open or separate. In other words, there is a space between the words.

Examples: post office / real estate / full moon

 

Some general rules regarding the use of hyphens:-

Compound Adjectives are often hyphenated.

If a compound adjective precedes a noun, they are hyphenated

Examples:

low-paying job [low- paying is a compound adjective; job is a noun]

easy-going celebrity [easy-going is a compound adjective; celebrity is a noun]

 

Adverbs that end in –ly and compounded with another modifier are generally not hyphenated:

Examples:

deeply held beliefs

genetically modified foods

highly placed sources

quietly organized meeting

 

 

ALSO NOTE:

1. Some compound words may have more than one form but these forms may belong to different parts of speech.

 

Examples:

bread and butter [open form] [noun]

bread-and-butter [closed form] [adjective]

 

charge sheet [open form][noun]

chargesheet [closed form] [verb]

 

fast track [open form] [noun]

fast-track [hyphenated form] [adjective, verb]

 

first degree [open form] [noun]

first-degree [hyphenated form] [adjective]

 

full time [open form] [noun]

full-time [hyphenated form] [adjective, adverb]

 

gift wrap [open form] [noun]

gift-wrap [hyphenated form] [verb]

 

hard core [open form] [noun]

hard-core [hyphenated form] [adjective]

 

hard line [open form] [noun]

hard-line [hyphenated form] [adjective]

 

road test [open form] [noun]

road-test [hyphenated form] [verb]

 

second hand [open form] [noun]

second-hand [hyphenated form] [adjective]

 

 

2. Some compound words which are hyphenated in American English are not hyphenated in British English.

Example: cash-back [American English]; cashback [British English]

 

 

3. Compound words are mainly formed in the following ways:

(a). adjective + adjective [example: bittersweet]

(b). adjective + noun [example: blackboard]

(c). adjective + verb [example: broadcast]

(d). adjective + past participle [example: cold-blooded]

(e). adjective + present participle [example: free-standing]

(f). adverb (or preposition) + adjective [example: ingrown]

(g). adverb (or preposition) + noun [example: afterlife]

(h). adverb (or preposition) + verb [example: cutback]

(i). adverb + past participle [example: brightly lit]

(j). adverb + present participle [example: long-lasting]

(k). noun + adjective [example: blood red]

(l). noun + adverb (or preposition) [example: hanger-on]

(m). noun + noun [example: airman]

(n). noun + verb [example: air-condition]

(o). noun + past participle [example: sun-dried]

(p). verb + adverb (or preposition) [example: breakdown]

(q). verb + noun [example: bathroom]

(r). gerund + noun [example: bleaching powder]

(s). noun + gerund [example: air-conditioning]

 

A detailed list of Compound words in Alphabetical Order. [All compound words have been grouped according to the parts of speech they belong to.)

About the author

Manik Joshi was born on January 26, 1979, at Ranikhet, a picturesque town in the Kumaon region of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. He is a permanent resident of the Sheeshmahal area of Kathgodam located in the city of Haldwani in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand in India. He completed his schooling in four different schools. He is a science graduate in the ZBC – zoology, botany, and chemistry – subjects. He is also an MBA with a specialization in marketing. Additionally, he holds diplomas in “computer applications”, “multimedia and web-designing”, and “computer hardware and networking”. During his schooldays, he wanted to enter the field of medical science; however, after graduation, he shifted his focus to the field of management. After obtaining his MBA, he enrolled in a computer education center; he became so fascinated with working on the computer that he decided to develop his career in this field. Over the following years, he worked at some computer-related full-time jobs. Following that, he became interested in Internet Marketing, particularly in domaining (business of buying and selling domain names), web design (creating websites), and various other online jobs. However, later he shifted his focus solely to self-publishing. Manik is a nature-lover. He has always been fascinated by overcast skies. He is passionate about traveling and enjoys solo travel most of the time rather than traveling in groups. He is actually quite a loner who prefers to do his own thing. He likes to listen to music, particularly when he is working on the computer. Reading and writing are definitely his favorite pastimes, but he has no interest in sports. Manik has always dreamt of a prosperous life and prefers to live a life of luxury. He has a keen interest in politics because he believes it is politics that decides everything else. He feels a sense of gratification sharing his experiences and knowledge with the outside world. However, he is an introvert by nature and thus gives prominence to only a few people in his personal life. He is not a spiritual man, yet he actively seeks knowledge about the metaphysical world; he is particularly interested in learning about life beyond death. In addition to writing academic/informational text and fictional content, he also maintains a personal diary. He has always had a desire to stand out from the crowd. He does not believe in treading the beaten path and avoids copying someone else’s path to success. Two things he always refrains from are smoking and drinking; he is a teetotaler and very health-conscious. He usually wakes up before the sun rises. He starts his morning with meditation and exercise. Fitness is an integral and indispensable part of his life. He gets energized by solving complex problems. He loves himself the way he is and he loves the way he looks. He doesn’t believe in following fashion trends. He dresses according to what suits him and what he is comfortable in. He believes in taking calculated risks. His philosophy is to expect the best but prepare for the worst. According to him, you can’t succeed if you are unwilling to fail. For Manik, life is about learning from mistakes and figuring out how to move forward.