Compound nouns (Easy)

Vocabulary points to take away:
Compound nouns are nouns that are made up of a combination of two (or sometimes
more) nouns or a combination of a noun and a prepositional phrase. Some examples of
these are:
– popcorn
– keyboard
– hot dog
– ice cream
– daughter-in-law
– father-in-law
There are three ways that compound nouns can be written: with the two nouns making up
the compound noun placed together without a space between them, with the two nouns
separated by a space, and with the words connected by hyphens (a hyphen is this
punctuation mark – )
There are no rules for the first two ways of writing compound nouns (with or without a
space between the two nouns), so it is a good idea to check in a good dictionary. You can
also check whether you can write plural forms of these compound nouns (e.g. keyboards)
Form
Without a space:
– pop + corn = popcorn
– key + board = keyboard
– post + card = postcard
With a space:
– hot + dog = hot dog
– ice + cream = ice cream
– alarm + clock = alarm clock
The third way of writing compounds here is a combination of a noun (daughter) and a
prepositional phrase (-in-law). When we write these the form is:
– daughter + -in-law = daughter-in-law
– father + -in-law = father-in-law
Pronunciation
We pronounce most compound nouns, especially those made up of two nouns, with the
stress on the first syllable. This is important as it can change the meaning.
hot dog (the same stress on each word) = a dog that is hot
hot dog (more stress on the first word) = a snack made from a bread bun and a sausage.

Lắng nghe và điền vào chỗ trống:

Cloze Test

CLOZE TEST

Alice

And

For

Susan

That's

Well

about

and

compound

have

hot

linked

noun

nouns

number

office

one

really

she's

start

tells

the

this

top

whats

with

words

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Vocabulary with me Alice…

Finn

And me, Finn. Today were looking at compound .

Alice

What are you eating, Finn??

Finn

Popcorn. Ive also got some ice cream � do you want some ?

Alice

Well, maybe after the show.

Finn

[clears throat] Sorry. In todays show, were looking at compound nouns.

Alice

look at what they are, what they mean and how to use them.

Finn

Therell be a quiz…

Alice

well leave you with a tasty top tip for learning vocabulary.

Finn

So, first up: were going to listen Bill and his daughter-in-law talking about Bills computer.

Alice

And heres a question to think about while you listen: wrong with Bills laptop?

Finn

Whats wrong with Bill's laptop? Lets find out.

INSERT

Bill

Im having problems with new software.

Susan

Wheres Mike? Hes good with computers.

Bill

Hes buying postcards at the post office, I think.

Lets have a look then. I think I can fix this.

Bill

Susan, youre my favourite daughter-in-law--! But should buy a new laptop?

Susan

I think youll have to Bill. This keyboard doesnt work at all.

STING

Alice

, thats Bill and his daughter-in-law--. And we asked you: whats wrong with Bills laptop?

Finn

And the answer is: keyboard doesnt work.

Alice

Now, keyboard is a key word in today's show because its an example of a

noun.

Finn

Thats right. In English vocabulary, we often put two or more nouns together to form a new

, with a meaning that combines the meanings of the two original nouns. We call these

words compound nouns.

Alice

example, keyboard. The second part � board � names the thing we are talking about.

Finn

The first part us what type of thing it is � its a board with keys.

Alice

Now, we usually write keyboard one word. Same with laptop, software and

postcard. But we write others as two words.

Finn

For example, post � its an office where we post things and we write it as two

words.

Alice

Unfortunately there arent any rules about when to write compound nouns as one

word and when to write them as two words � so be sure to use a good dictionary!

IDENT

Youre listening to bbclearningenglishcom..

Alice

And were talking about compound . And if you were listening carefully earlier on you

might have noticed a few compound nouns right at the . Popcorn was one of them.

We also heard ice cream - another compound noun!

Finn

And you may also noticed how these words are pronounced. With compound nouns,

the stress usually goes on the first part, like this � popcorn, ice cream, keyboard.

Whats our final example, Alice?

Alice

Daughter-in-law--. This compound noun is made of a noun a prepositional phrase.

Finn

Now, when we write three-word compounds, we usually use hyphens � little dashes -*%-

between words. This shows the three words go together.

Alice

And the plural is daughters-in-law--, not daughter-in-laws--. We are talking two

daughters � so we add the plural ‘�s��’ to this word.

Finn

Do you have any daughters-in-law--, Alice?

No I don't Finn. I'm far too young to have any daughters-in-law--. But I do have a sister-in-law--,

and a lovely woman. Lets hear about compound nouns again.

Finn

Theyre fixed expressions formed from two or three words together in different

ways. There are compounds we write as one word, like keyboard, software, and

popcorn.

Alice

But write some of them as two separate words, like post office and ice cream.

Finn

Now its time for quiz. Im going to say a compound noun and Im also going to say

whether we write it as word, two words or with hyphens. You decide if this is true or

false. Ready? Number 1. Popcorn. Two .

Alice

False. Its one word.

Finn

Number 2. Ice cream. One word.

Alice

False! Its two words.

Finn

And 3. Daughters-in-law--. With hyphens.

Alice

True!

Finn

That's right, it has hyphens. Well done if you got those right.

And that brings us almost to the end of the programme.

Finn

But just before we finish, heres todays tip for learning vocabulary: practise the

pronunciation of compound nouns. The stress is on the first word. Try saying ' dog' with

an equal stress on both words: this means a dog that is hot. Then say it again the stress

on the first word: hot dog is a type of sausage snack.

Alice

Great, thank you Finn. wonderful. Theres more about this at bbclearningenglishcom..

Join us again for more 6 Minute Vocabulary.

Both

Goodbye!

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