#58 - Compound Nouns #1 - English Grammar

Compound nouns are nouns made up of two or more words. The words that make up a compound noun are words that can stand alone. Compound nouns can be combined in three different ways: One single word, two separate words, or hyphenated words.

Single Word Compound Nouns - two words that make up a single word

Toothpaste
Shoebox
Trashcan
Ashtray
Bedroom
Newspaper
Football
Haircut
Keyboard
Lipstick
Airplane
Armchair
Background
Baseball
Bathroom
Chopstick
Goldfish
Fishbowl
Fingerprint
Fingernail
Earphone
Ladybug
Mailbox
Pancake
Tablespoon

Two Word Compound Nouns - two words that are generally used together

Full moon
Rain forest
Cell phone
French fries
Light bulb
Life jacket
Apple pie
High school
Hot dog
Vacuum cleaner
Post office
Real estate
Video game
Door knob

Hyphenated Compound Nouns - two or more words that are separated by a hyphen

Self-esteem
One-year-old
Merry-go-round
Get-together
Editor-in-chief
Self-service
Runner-up
Warm-up