Compound nouns are two nouns put together. When we combine the two nouns to make a compound noun, we are making a new word.
bed + room = bedroom
- I bought a new bed.
- My house has 4 rooms.
- I study in my bedroom.
Here is a list of the most common compound nouns.
| armchair | aircraft | background | baseball | bedtime |
| brainstorm | butterfly | catfish | chopstick | daydream |
| dishwasher | driveway | dustpan | earring | earthquake |
| eggplant | eyelid | eyelash | fingerprint | fireman |
| firefly | flashback | footprint | grapefruit | hallway |
| heartbeat | keyhole | kneecap | ladybug | landslide |
| mailbox | marketplace | notebook | notepad | pancake |
| password | quicksand | rainbow | railway | sailboat |
| seashell | vineyard | waistline | wallpaper | workshop |
Sometimes two nouns are used together, but they are not one word. However, if you remove one of the words, then the meaning changes.
| cell phone | elementary school | full moon | high school |
| hot dog | life jacket | light bulb | orange juice |
| post office | real estate | vacuum cleaner | video game |
Some compound nouns have a hyphen or two.
| brother-in-law | father-in-law | get-together | merry-go-round |
| mother-in-law | self-esteem | self-service | sister-in-law |
You will naturally learn compound nouns as you continue to study and learn English, so you do not need to spend a lot of time studying compound nouns. But it is important to understand this basic English grammar.
