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.

Exam is going on..

Love versus learning-By Constance Naden-Paraphrase

I imaged that someday I would marry a philosopher. He was an intelligent person and a wise person. He was not a professor but he was a person that would love me so much. He was also a man who every body liked. I always doubt what I see and what I heard. I just tried to be strong when my freedoms end. He promised he would always love me forever. It made me speechless. He was really good at praised me. Of course it because he was an Oxford M.A. 

Unfortunately, day by day he became different. He was not like person I knew in the past any more. I think my dream was broken. He always belittled me because he thoughts he was smarter than I was. Because of that, I think I wanted to break up with him. However, I got confuse again when he came to me and some how he could make me fall in love again with him.