Compound Nouns
Two words, one meaning. Bus stop, toothbrush, mother-in-law.
English makes new nouns all the time by sticking words together. Once you see the pattern, you'll notice them everywhere: bus stop, phone charger, tea estate, birthday party.
වචන දෙකක් (හෝ වැඩි ගණනක්) එකතු වෙලා එක noun එකක් විදියට වැඩ කරනවා නම් ඒක compound noun එකක්. පළවෙනි වචනයෙන් කියවෙන්නේ "මොන වගේද" කියලා. දෙවෙනි වචනය තමයි ප්රධාන දේ. bus stop කියන්නේ බස් එකක් නෙවෙයි, නැවතුම් ස්ථානයක්.
How they work
The second word is the main thing. The first word just describes it.
| What kind? | What is it? | Compound noun |
|---|---|---|
| tea | estate | tea estate (an estate for tea) |
| phone | charger | phone charger (a charger for a phone) |
| bus | stop | bus stop (a place where buses stop) |
| tooth | brush | toothbrush (a brush for your teeth) |
| rice | cooker | rice cooker |
| school | bag | school bag |
So a tea cup is a cup, and a cup of tea is tea! 😄
One word, two words, or a hyphen?
Sadly, there's no clear rule. All three are possible:
- One word: toothbrush, bedroom, classroom, weekend, sunglasses
- Two words: bus stop, rice cooker, swimming pool, post office
- Hyphen: mother-in-law, check-in, passer-by
If you're not sure, check a dictionary. Writing it as two words is the safest guess.
Common patterns
| Pattern | Examples |
|---|---|
| noun + noun | tea estate, bus stop, bedroom |
| adjective + noun | greenhouse, blackboard, software |
| verb-ing + noun | swimming pool, washing machine, driving licence |
| verb + preposition | check-in, take-off, lookout |
| noun + preposition / phrase | passer-by, mother-in-law |
Plurals
Usually, only the main word (the last one) takes the plural:
Plural compound nouns
- two bus stops
- three toothbrushes
- ten classrooms
With -in-law and passer-by, the plural goes on the first word: mothers-in-law, passers-by.
Say it right
In a compound noun, the stress is usually on the first word. This can change the meaning:
Listen to the stress
- a GREENhouse (a glass house for plants)compound noun
- a green HOUSE (a house painted green)adjective + noun
Quick check
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A "tea cup" is…
There are two on this road.
Let's try the in Pettah.
Both their came to the wedding.
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