English – Compound Nouns and Adjectives – BAC Literary Stream

English – Compound Nouns and Adjectives – BAC Literary Stream

Compound words are formed when two or more words combine to create a new word with a new meaning. They are common in English and appear frequently in the BAC reading and writing sections.

Compound Nouns:

Compound nouns can be written as one word, separate words, or with a hyphen.

• One word: toothpaste, bedroom, haircut, sunrise, football
• Separate words: bus stop, swimming pool, credit card, police officer
• Hyphenated: mother-in-law, check-in, passer-by, well-being

Formation patterns:

• Noun + Noun: bus station, coffee cup, rain forest
• Noun + Verb: sunrise, haircut, rainfall
• Verb + Noun: washing machine, swimming pool, driving license
• Adjective + Noun: greenhouse, blackboard, full moon
• Preposition + Noun: underground, afternoon, output

Compound Adjectives:

Compound adjectives are usually hyphenated when they come before the noun.

• Number + Noun (singular): a ten-minute walk, a five-year plan
• Adjective + Past Participle: well-known, high-pitched, old-fashioned
• Adverb + Past Participle: well-educated, badly-dressed, newly-built
• Noun + Present Participle: time-saving, heart-breaking, record-breaking
• Noun + Past Participle: sun-dried, home-made, snow-covered
• Adjective + Noun + ed: kind-hearted, cold-blooded, absent-minded

Plural of Compound Nouns:

• Usually the last word takes the plural: toothbrushes, swimming pools
• When the first word is the most significant, it takes the plural: mothers-in-law, passers-by
• Compound words with ‘man’ or ‘woman’: both parts become plural when both are important: women doctors, menservants

BAC Exercise:

Complete the sentences with the correct compound word:
1. She is very ________ (well/educated) for her age.
2. They went for a ________ (ten/minute) walk.
3. I need a new ________ (tooth/paste).
4. My ________ (mother/in/law) is visiting us tomorrow.
5. This is a ________ (record/breaking) achievement.

Answers: 1. well-educated, 2. ten-minute, 3. toothpaste, 4. mother-in-law, 5. record-breaking

Similar Lessons

• English – Prefixes and Suffixes: Word Formation
• English – Word Formation: Prefixes and Suffixes

📍 دروس مشابهة

• English – Expressing Cause and Result: So, Such, Too, Enough – BAC
• English – Prepositions of Time, Place, and Movement – BAC
• English Grammar and Writing — Causative Verbs: Have, Get, Let, Make — BAC Practice Part 14 — 3rd Year Secondary — Literary Stream