Compounding

A compound is a lexical unit consisting of more than one base and functioning both grammatically and semantically as a single word.


Classification of compounds


Noun compounds

1. Type 'subject and verb'

a) SU NRISE: subject + deverbal noun ('The sun rises'). This is a very productive type. For example: bee-sting, frostbite, nightfall, headache, rainfall, daybreak, heartbeat, earthquake, landslide, toothache.

b) RATTLESNAKE: verb + subject ('The snake rattles'). Weakly productive: crybaby, driftwood, drip, coffee, flashlight, glowworm, hangman, playboy, popcorn, turntable, watchdog.

c) CLEANING WOMAN: verbal noun in -ing + subject. Very productive: investigating committee, wo rking party, flying saucer, working man, firing squad, flying machine, washing machine.


2. Type 'verb and object'

a) BLOOD TEST: object + deverbal noun ('X tests blood'). Moderately productive type: compunds with self, birth-control, book review crime report, dress-design, haircut, handshake, meat delivery, office management, suicide attempt, self-control, self-destruction, tax cut, word-formation. b) FAULT-FINDING: object + verbal noun in -ing ('X finds fault(s)'). Very productive: air-conditioning, book-keeping, book-reviewing, brainwashing, dressmaking, housekeeping, letter-writing, sightseeing, story-telling, town-planning.

c) TAX-PAYER: object + agential noun in -er ('X pays tax(es)'). Very productive: lawn-mower, penholder, record-player, cigar smoker, stockholder.

d) PUNCH CARD: verb + object ('X punches the card'). For example: call-girl, punchball, scarecrow, treadmill, computer-designer, hair-splitter, radio-operator, window-cleaner, crime reporter, language teacher, songwriter.



3. Type 'verb and adverbial'

a) SWIMMING POOL: verbal noun in -ing + adverbial (consisting of a prepositional phrase; ('X swims in the pool'). Very productive type: diving board, drinking cup, freezing point, frying pan, hiding-place, living-room, typing paper, waiting room, writing desk, adding machine, baking powder, carving knife , sewing machine, walking stick, washing machine.

b) DAYDREAMING: adverbial + verbal noun in -ing ('X dreams during the day'). Moderately productive type: churchgoing, horse riding, tight-rope walking, sun-bathing, sleep walking, fly-fishing, handwriting.

c) BABY SITTER: adverbial + agential noun in -er ('X sits with the baby'). Moderately productive: backswimmer, city-dweller, factory-worker, gate-crasher ('uninvited guest'), housebreaker, playgoer, tight-rope walker, su n-bather, theatre-goer, daydreamer.

d) HOMEWORK: adverbial + deverbal noun ('X works at home'). Moderately productive: boat-ride, field-work, table talk, moon walk, daydream, night flight, gunfight, smallpox vaccination, tax-exemption, telephone call.

e) SEARCHLIGHT. verb + adverbial ('X searches with a light'). For example: dance hall, springboard, workbench, grindstone, plaything, cookbook, restroom, swimsuit, washroom.



4. 'Verbless' compounds

1. Type 'subject and object'

a) WINDMILL: noun1 + noun2 ('noun1 [powers/operates] noun2:the wind powers the mill'). For example: air-brake, air rifle, cable car, coal fire, motorcycle, steam engine, gas cooker, hydrogen bomb.

b) TOY FACTORY: noun1 + noun2 ('noun2 produces/yields noun1 'the factory produces toys'). For example: honey-bee, oil well, power plant, silkworm, tear gas, textile mill, water pistol, gold mine.

c) BLOODSTAIN: noun1 + noun2 ('noun1 produces/yields noun2: blood produces stains'). For example: cane sugar, eiderdown, food poisoning, gaslight, hay fever, sawdust, tortoise-shell, whalebone.

d) DOORKNOB: noun1 + noun2 ('noun1 [has] noun2: the door has a knob'). Very productive. Noun1 is inanimate. With animate we use a noncompound genitive phrase: compare the 'table ,leg with 'the boy's leg: arrowhead, bedpost, bottleneck, cartwheel, piano keys, shirt-sleeves, table leg, telephone, receiver, television screen, win dow-pane.

e) SECURITY OFFICER: noun1 + noun2 ('noun2 controls/works in connection with noun1: The officer looks after security'). Very productive: chairperson, motorman, deckhand, police-officer, fireman, gasman, postman, workman, businessman, draughtsman.



2. Type 'subject and complement'

a) GIRLFRIEND: noun1 + noun2 ('noun2 [is] noun1: 'the friend is a girl'). Noun1 often refers to a subset of the class denoted by noun2. For example: blinker light , drummer boy, feeder bus, killer shark, manservant, oak tree, pine tree, tape-measure.

b) DARKROOM: adjective + noun ('noun [is] adjective': the room is dark'). For example: blackboard, blackbird, blueprint, double-talk, dry dock, greyhound, grey matter, handyman, highchair, hothouse, longboat, madman.

c) FROGMAN: noun1 + noun2 ('noun2, is like noun1: the man is like a frog'). Very productive: butter-bean, catfish, dragonfly, goldfish, kettledrum, sandwich man, tissue paper.

d) SNOW FLAKE: noun1 + noun2 ('noun2 [is of, consists of] noun1: a flake of snow'). For example: breadcrumb, sand dune, chocolate bar, raindrop, soap flake.

e) ASHTRAY: noun1 + noun2 (noun1, [is for] noun2: the tray is for ash'). Highly productive: birdcage, fish-pond, tearoom, breakfast time, coffee time, cough drops, doghouse, facecloth, fire engine, flowerbed, safety belt.



Adjective compounds

1. Type 'verb and object'

MAN -EATING: object + -ing participle ('X eats men' faultfinding). This is a very productive type. For example: breathtaking, record-breaking, mouth-watering, fact-finding, self-defeating, heart-breaking, self-justifying, life-giving.

2. Type 'verb and adverbial

a) OCEAN-GOING: adverbial + -ing participle ('X goes across oceans'). For example: fist-fighting, law-abiding, lip-sucking.

b) HEARTFELT: adverbial + -ed participle ('X feels it in the heart'). Custom-built, ha ndmade, home-brewed, home-made, suntanned, typewritten, moonstruck, town-bred, language(-)impaired.

c) HARD-WORKING: adverb/adjective + -ing participle ('X works hard', 'good-looking: X looks good'). For example: easy-going, everlasting, far-reaching, good-looking, sweet-smelling.

d) QUICK-FROZEN: adjective/adverb + -ed participle ('X was frozen quickly'). For example: dry-cleaned, long-awaited, new-laid, widespread, far-fetched, fresh-baked, well-meant.



3. Type 'verbless'

a) FOOTSORE: noun-based adverbial of respect + adjective ('sore in respect to (one's) feet'). Airsick, dustproof, homesick, watertight, air-tight, duty-free, oven-ready, camera-ready, fireproof, tax-free, carsick, foolproof.

b) GRASS-GREEN: noun (denoting basis of comparison) + adjective ('as green as grass') Age-old, ash-blonde, bottle-green, brick red, jet black, midnight blue, rock-hard, sea-green< /i>.

c) GREY-GREEN: adjective + adjective in a coordinating relation ('The colour is basically green but with a greyish tint'). Anglo-Polish, auditory-visual, deaf-mute, Franco-German, phonetic-syntactic, psychosomatic, Russo-Chinese, sensori-neural, Sino-Italian, socio-economic, Swedish-Brazilian, tragi-comic.