COMPOUND WORDS| ENGLISH GRAMMAR

 

COMPOUND WORDS

What Are Compound Words?

A compound word is formed when two words are combined to make a new word. It is one of the ways in which the English language is flexible and always changing, as compound words allow people to create new words as the need arises.

For example, you might use “in” and “side” to create the compound word “inside”.

We should play inside today.

The words “carry” and “over” can make the compound word “carry over”.

We can carry over that surplus into the next sprint.

As you can see, compound words can come in different varieties. By adding compound words to your writing, you can make your ideas more interesting and descriptive for the reader. The addition of too many compounds can be messy, especially hyphenated compound words; so, be sure to use compound words wisely. Like any seasoning, they are best sprinkled throughout your writing instead of used in every line.

When it comes to compound words, there are three different types that are important: closed-form, open-form, and hyphenated. Dive into how each type of compound word is different.

Closed-Form Compound words

Closed compound words are formed when two fully independent, unique words are combined to create a new word. For example, you would combine “grand” and “mother” to create the closed-form word “grandmother”. In a sentence, this would look like, “My grandmother is coming over.” These are the most common types of compound words.

For example:

1.railroad

2.sometimes

3.inside

4.upstream

5.basketball

6.anybody

7.outside

8.cannot

9.sunflower

10.moonlight

11.bullfrog

12.snowball

13.mailbox

14.skateboard

15.everything

16.schoolhouse

17.grasshopper

Open Compound Word 

Open compound words are formed when two words remain separate on the page but are used together to create a new idea with a specific meaning. For example, “attorney” and “general” are used to form the open compound word “attorney general”. You could see this in the sentence, “The attorney general holds the power in legal matters.”

More examples

1.living room

2.sweet tooth

3.hot dog

4.grand jury

5.post office

6.full moon

7.half sister

8.cave in

9.peanut butter

10.Boy Scouts

11.no one

12.ice cream

13.real estate

14.high school

Hyphenated Compound words

Hyphenated compound words are formed when two separate words are joined together by a hyphen. 

Examples 

1.two-fold

2.check-in

3.merry-go-round

4.father-in-law

5.seventy-two

6.long-term

7.up-to-date

8.mother-in-law

9.one-half

10.over-the-counter

Note that hyphenated compound words are most commonly used when the words being joined together are combined to form an adjective before a noun. 

For example:

1.forty-acre farm

2.full-time worker

3.on-campus housing

4.state-of-the-art features

5.family-run busines

However, these hyphenated compound words become open compounds when they are placed after the word they describe. 

For example:

1.The farm has forty acres.

2.The worker is full time.

3.The housing is all on campus for freshman

4.Its features are truly state of the art.

5.The business is still family run.

Compound Words in Sentences

Now that you learned about the different types of compound words, see if you can find the compound words in the sentences below.

1.My grandfather is coming home for the holidays.

2.I really want a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

3.The real estate agent had to take a test to get her license.

4.She is a part-time teacher.

5.That is our full-time worker.

6.He was seventy-two years old.

7.Let’s go play some basketball

8.Has anybody seen my binder?

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