What are Compound Words?
Compound words are formed when two or more words are put together to form a
new word with a new meaning. They can function as different parts of speech, which
can dictate what form the compound takes on. For example, the word carry over is
an open compound word when it’s used as a verb but it is closed when used as a
noun and an a adjective.
This surplus will carry over to next season.
The extra supplies were part of the carryover from the budget.
Compound words are so prevalent in the English language we don’t think much
about them – until it’s time to write them. Then we often have to stop and think about
how they’re put together.
Examples of Compound Words
Compound words fall within three categories and it’s not unusual to find the same
word in more than one group. Here are the three types of compound words with an
explanation and examples of each:
Closed compound words are formed when two unique words are joined together.
They don’t have a space between them and they are the type that generally comes
to mind when we think of compound words. For example:
Cannot
Baseball
Fireworks
Grandmother
Elsewhere
Upside
Together
Sunflower
Crosswalk
Become
Basketball
Moonlight
Football
Railroad
Anybody
Weatherman
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Skateboard
Earthquake
Everything
Sometimes
Schoolhouse
Upstream
Fireflies
Grasshopper
Inside
Playthings
I love the fireworks on the fourth of July.
Make sure you hold hands when you come to the crosswalk.
The ocean was bathed in moonlight.
Did you hear amount the terrible earthquake?
The fireflies buzzed in the night sky.
Open compound words have a space between the words but when they are read
together a new meaning is formed:
Ice cream
Grand jury
Cave in
Post office
Real estate
Middle class
Full moon
Attorney general
Half sister
Ice cream is my favorite dessert.
The line at the post office snaked all the way out the door and around the corner.
Rhonda is my half sister.
There must be a full moon out tonight.
Hyphenated compound words are connected by a hyphen. To avoid confusion,
modifying compounds are often hyphenated, especially when they precede a noun
such as in the case of part-time teacher, high-speed chase, and fifty-yard dash.
When they come after the noun they are open compounds: a chase that is high
speed, a teacher that is part time, etc. Comparative and superlative adjectives are
hyphenated when they are compounded with other modifiers: the highest-priced
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computer, the lower-priced car. Adverbs that end in –ly and compounded with
another modifier are not modified: a highly rated restaurant, a publicly held meeting.
Here are more examples of hyphenated compound words.
One-half
Mother-in-law
Eighty-six
One-third
Merry-go-round
Well-being
Mass-produced
Over-the-counter
Daughter-in-law
My mother-in-law is coming for a visit.
The merry-go-round at the carnival thrilled Ella.
Some over-the-counter drugs can have serious side effects.
If you’re concerned for your well-being make sure you eat healthy foods and get
plenty of exercise.
It’s true the rules for compound words can be a bit ambiguous at times. The best
thing to do when you have a question about a compound word is look it up. Often
times you’ll find options with the preferred choice listed first. The bottom line is that
the only way to know for sure how to spell compounds is to consult an authoritative
source: a good dictionary.
Reference:
http://www.k12reader.com/term/compound-words/
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Exercise (9- 5): For a review of the three classes of words, identify the following items with
these symbols:
S = simple word
Cx = complex word
Cd = Compound word
1. sharpshooter
2. act
3. react
4. rattlesnake
5. passbook
6. apparatus
7. glowworm
8. import
9. ripcord
10. unearth
11. rat-a-tat
12. beauty
13. beautify
14. outlast
15. biochemical
16. inaccessible
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