Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are two individual words that carry one meaning. They are part of one unit and have become a set phrase. Usually a compound noun consists of two nouns such as credit + card. In compound nouns, the first word is stressed, and the two words are said together, with no pausing in between the words. (Note that compound nouns can be written either as a single word or as two separate words.)

Compound Nouns for Practice

Stress the first word and pronounce the two words as one.

1. parking lot
2. parking ticket
3. parking meter
4. parking space
5. book shelf
6. book cover
7. book store
8. bookmark
9. credit card
10. post card
11. report card
12. green card
13. football
14. baseball
15. ballpark
16. ballroom

More Compound Noun Practice

Stress the first word in these compound nouns within compound nouns.

1. cell phone number
2. football game
3. bedroom furniture
4. high school girl
5. basketball coach
6. blood pressure medicine
7. website address
8. parking lot attendant

Words for Practice

These professions are all examples of compound nouns.

1. taxi driver
2. computer programmer
3. real estate salesperson
4. airline pilot
5. brain surgeon
6. research scientist
7. physician’s assistant
8. math teacher
9. postal worker
10. high school principal

Practice Dialogue

Leaving for Vacation

a. Hi Christine. Are you all packed?
b. I’m packing my suitcase right now.
a. Did you remember to take everything?
b. Yes, I’ve got my toothbrush, bathing suit, sun block, hair dryer, hairspray, airline ticket, running shoes, alarm clock, and credit cards.
a. Don’t forget the telephone number of the hotel. And reading material for the airplane. How are you getting to the airport?
b. The taxicab will take me.
a. Do you have your flight information?
b. Yes, it’s on the airline ticket and on the boarding pass. Uh oh. I forgot my passport!

Practice Paragraph

At the Computer Store

I went to the computer store to buy a new computer. I couldn’t decide between a laptop and a desktop. The salesman was very helpful. He told me all about the hard drives and the operating systems. I decided to get a laptop even though it has a smaller keyboard. He recommended a good webcam and a flash drive. I ended up also getting some software, headphones, a sound card, and a mouse pad. I also got a fax machine, a few video games, and a navigation system for my car. But when I got to the cash register and gave them my credit card, they said I went over my credit limit. I was so embarrassed! I think I went overboard!